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THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
•The^)<i^
THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
NEW YORK ■ BOSTON • CHICAGO ■ DALLAS
ATLANTA • SAN FRANCISCO
MACMILLAN & CO., Limited
LONDON • BOMBAY ■ CALCUTTA
MELBOURNE
THE MACMILLAN CO OF CANADA, Ltd.
TORONTO
9 -3
THE PHILIPPINES
PAST AND PRESENT
BY
DEAN C. WORCESTER
SECBETABT OF THE INTERIOR OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
1901-1913 ; MEMBER OF THE PHILIPPINE
COMMISSION, 1900-1913
AUTHOR OF " THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
AND THEIR PEOPLE"
IN TWO VOLUMES — WITH 128 PLATES
VOLUME 11
MILLS & BOON, LIMITED
49 RUPERT STREET
LONDON. W.
COPTKISBT, 1914,
bt the macmillan company.
Set up and elcctrotyped. Published February, 1914.
Notbjiioti ]9rmi
J. 8. Cashing Co. — Berwick & Smith Co.
Norwood, Mass., U.S.A.
CONTENTS
VOL. II
CHAPTER FASH
XIX. Education .501
XX. The Exploration of Non-Christian Territory 532
XXI. The Govern.ment of Non-Christian Tribes . 559
XXII. The Government of Non-Christian Tribes (Con-
tinued) 591
XXIII. Corrigenda 637
XXIV. Non-Christian Tribe Problems . . . .660
XXV. Slavery and Peonage 676
XXVI. Murder as a Governmental Agency . . - 7.30
XXVII. The Philippine Legislature 768
XXVIII. The Picturesque Philippines 792
XXIX. Rod, Shotgun and Rifle 806
XXX. Philippine Lands 829
XXXI. Philippine Forests 846
XXXII. Improved Means of Communication . . . 861
XXXIII. Commercial Possibilities of the Philippines . 884
XXXIV. Peace and Prosperity 911
XXXV. Some Results of American Rule .... 921
XXXVI. Is Philippine Independence now Possible? . 933
XXXVIL What Then? 961
APPENDIX
Instructions to the First Philippine Commission . . 975
Proclamation of the First Philippine Commission . . 977
Instructions to the Second Philippine Commission . . 980
Past and Present Organization of the Courts of the
Philippine Islands 988
Present accepted Estimate of the Non- Christian Popula-
tion OF THE Philippines 999
INDEX 1005
V
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
VOL. II
The Metamorphosis of a Bontoc Igorot .... Frontispiece
FACING PAGE
Head-hunters' Weapous 508
The Three Leading Men in the Funeral Procession of an Ifugao
who has lost his Head to the Enemy 516-
The Sacred Tree of the Ifugaos 524
Entrance to the Quiangau Schoolhouse 534
An Ifugao School 540
The Sub-provincial Building at Quiangan 546
Ifugao Constabulary Soldiers 554
Bontoc Igorot Head-huuters 562
Bontoc Igorot Women in Banana-leaf Costume .... 570
A Bontoc Igorot Tug-of-war 578
Bontoc Igorot Boys learning to make Furniture .... 586
A Conference with Ifugao Chiefs 594
Finished Trail built by Ifugaos 602
A Difficult Bit of Rock Work on the Mountain Trail in Benguet . 610
A Flying Ferry in Operation 618
A Wild Tingian of Apayao 626
Tingian Girls threshing Rice 634
Typical Manobos 640
An Old Bukidnon Chief 650
Typical Street in a Filipino Town 656
A Typical Bukidnon Village Street 656
A Typical Improved Bukidnon House 664
A Typical Neglected Filipino House 664
Making Friends with the Mandayas 670
A Mandayan Boy 678
A Group of Bagobos 686
Moro Boats coming out to meet the Philippine Commission at Jolo 692
Among the Moros 700
A Moro Chief with his Wives and Daughter 706
Lieutenant-Governor Manuel Fortich of Bukidnon .... 708
Governor Frederick Johnson of Agusan 714
A Typical Peon 722
vii
viii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
FAOWO PAOK
The Penalty for Loyalty to the United States 728
The Philippine Assembly in Session 738
Senor Sergio Osmena, Speaker of the Philippine Assembly . . 742
The Manila Hotel 750
Mayon Volcano 756
The Crater of Taal Volcano 764
A Bit of the Pagsanjan Gorge 772
A Giant Tree Fern 780
Scene on a Bird Island 788
A Day's Catch 796
After the Hunt 804
Typical Scene at the Edge of a Hardwood Forest .... 812
A Typical Forest Scene 820
Old-style Road across Lowlands 826
New-style Road across Lowlands 826
Typical Old-style Country Road . 836
Typical New-style Country Road 836
A Canga, or Carabao Sledge 844
A New-style Cart, with Broad-tired Wheels, which does not injure
the Roads 844
Road Destroyers at Work 852
An Old-style Culvert 858
The Old Way of Crossing a River 868
The New Way of Crossing a River 868
A Typical Old-style Bridge 878
A Typical Reenforced Concrete Bridge 878
A Collapsible Bridge 886
Slap : Manila, the Future Distributing Centre for the Far East . 888
Preparing Rice Land for Planting 892
Planting Rice 892
A Three-year-old Coffee Bush 902
A Ceara Rubber Tree 906
A Typical Cocoanut Grove 918
A Typical Filipino Town 922
A Typical Group of Filipinos 930
A Typical Spanish Mestiza 938
A Strange Couple 946
A Member of the Cabaruan Trinity 954
A Typical Old-style Provincial Government Building . . . 962
A Modern Provincial Government Building 962
A Refuge from the Moros 968
A Possible Office-holder 972
THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
CHAPTER XIX
Education
No work accomplished since the American occupation
is of more fundamental and far-reaching importance than
that of the Bureau of Education. In order to appreciate
it one must gain some familiarity with the conditions
which prevailed in Spanish times.
The first evidence of the Spanish governmental attitude
toward education in the Philippines is found in a royal
edict of March 21, 1634,i in which Felipe IV orders all
archbishops and bishops to take steps for the education
of the Filipinos in the Spanish language and in Christian
doctrine.
That this decree was more honoured in the breach than
in the observance is evident from another royal decree
of June 20, 1686,- in which the king reminds civil and
religious authorities that the non-observance of the decree
of 1634 will be charged against them.
Neither of these documents provided for financing
the scheme of education ordained, but a decree of Decem-
ber 22, 1792,^ did make financial provision for the estab-
lishment of Spanish schools for natives. The salaries
of teachers were to be paid from the royal treasury, and
deficits were to be made up from the communal prop-
erties and treasuries.
Although this was the first practical attempt to in-
troduce general native education, there are evidences
that individual opportunities were offered to, and em-
braced by, Filipinos. It is probable, too, that in certain
• Blair and Robertson, Vol. 45, p. 184.
» Ibid., Vol. 45, p. 186. ' Ibid., Vol. 45, p. 222.
VOL. II — B 501
502 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
localities the most generous of the Spaniards opened
private schools.
The College of San Jose was founded in 1601, the Uni-
versity of Santo Tomas in 1619. Neither made provi-
sion for educating natives. They were established for
the children of Spaniards only, although both later ad-
mitted Filipinos. But in the rules for the short-lived
college of San Fehpe (1641-1645),^ Corcuera lays down
the following: "The college servants shall be of influ-
ential Pampango families, and they shall be taught to
read and write in the Spanish language, and shall be given
clerkships if they show aptitude therefor." We learn that
when the charity school of San Juan de Letran passed
under the control of the Dominicans in 1640, native boys
were admitted, on payment of fees, to share the advan-
tages offered charitably to Spanish orphans.^
Primary education for Filipinos secured no real foothold
until 1863.^ In that year, by royal decree, a school system
originally planned for Cuba was extended to the Philip-
pines. It made provision for the beginnings of primary
instruction in all municipalities of the islands. A sum-
mary ^ called forth by a circular of March 1, 1866, gives
information with regard to the progress actually made.
This summary fixes the number of towns at nine hundred,
the number of children attending school at one hundred
thirty-five thousand boys and twelve thousand two hun-
dred sixty girls, and the number of schools at sixteen
hundred seventy-four, but it gives the number of build-
ings actually in use for schools as only six hundred
forty-one. Instruction in Spanish was not always, or
even generally, given.
In 1863 provision was also made for the establishment
of a normal school at Manila. In 1893,^ forty years later,
' Blair and Robertson, Vol. 45, p. 175.
2 Ibid., Vol. 45, pp. 213-265.
2 Census of the Philippines, Vol. Ill, pp. 578-590.
* Ibid., Vol. Ill, p. 591. ' Ibid., Vol. Ill, pp. 579-580.
EDUCATION 503
the actual appropriation for the Normal School was
$5525. Fourteen years after the American occupation,
the appropriation for the Normal School was $56, 476.42,
in addition to $224,500 spent for new buildings and
furniture.'
In 1892 there were two thousand one hundred seventy-
three schools. The attendance of these schools was
small and irregular. In 1896, at the outbreak of the
insurrection, the Spanish had in operation a public
school system which could call upon the Normal School
for teachers and also upon such graduates of private
schools as cared to undertake the work. Naturally the
latter were few. Between 1863 and 1893, the Normal
School had enrolled two thousand and one students.
This may be contrasted with the number of schools
which, under the present regime, prepare the pupils for
teaching, as well as for other occupations. Including the
students of the Phihppine Normal School, the Philippine
School of Arts and Trades, the Provincial High and Inter-
mediate Schools, nearly thirty-seven thousand pupils are
now following studies which fit them more or less to un-
dertake the work of giving instruction to others.
In addition to the Normal School, the Spanish estab-
lished a Nautical School in 1820, a School of Commercial
Accounting and of the French and English Languages in
1839, and an Academy of Drawing and Painting. Their
final system of public instruction was not badly planned,
but it was never actually put into full operation.
From the beginning of the insurrection against Spain
in 1896 until the beginning of the insurrection against
the United States in 1899, most of the public schools were
closed. The schooUiouses were used for barracks, prisons,
or hospitals. No attempt was made to keep them in
repair, and what scanty equipment they had once pos-
sessed was for the most part destroyed or stolen.
Between 1899 and 1901, many of these buildings were
' Report of Director of Education, 1911-1912.
504 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
repaired in towns which were occupied by American
soldiers, and the beginnings of a public school system were
made by our victorious army. Wlierever our flag was
raised a public school was soon established, soldiers
often serving as teachers, and the moral effect of this
upon the Filipinos was very great.
The city of Manila was natiu-ally the first place to
receive attention. Three weeks after our army entered
it on August 13, 1898, seven schools were opened
under the supervision of Father W. D. McKinnon, chap-
lain of the first Cahfornia Regiment. In June, 1899, Lieu-
tenant George P. Anderson was detailed as city superin-
tendent of schools for Manila, and during the following
school year he had an average of forty-five hundred pupils
enrolled in the primary schools. Captain Albert Todd
was detailed to act as superintendent of schools for the
islands, but on May 5, 1900, in anticipation of the transfer
of the islands from mihtary to civil government, he gave
way to Dr. Fred W. Atkinson, who had been chosen
by the Philippine Commission as superintendent of pub-
lic instruction. This title was changed later to that
of director of education.
On January 21, 1901, the commission passed Act 74,
the basis of the present school law. It provided for the
appointment of one thousand American teachers to begin
the work of establishing a school system carried on in
English. Appointments were made as rapidly as possible.
By the end of the year, seven hundred sixty-five Ameri-
can teachers were at work.
When provision was made for the appointment of this
large number of Americans, it was with the idea that they
should act as teachers of Enghsh in schools over which
there should be FiUpino principals, but there was, at
that time, no body of Filipino teachers properly pre-
pared to carry on school work, and by force of cu-cum-
stances, this plan was soon altered.
Ten school divisions were established, covering the
EDUCATION 505
archipelago. Each was presided over by a division
superintendent of schools. The teachers were theoreti-
cally subject to his control, but the divisions were so large
that it was impossible for him to exercise control very
effectively. It is perhaps well that many of the teachers
were left free to employ their o\\ti ingenuity in meeting
local conditions.
The school system finally established represents a
composite of the recommendations of hundreds of teachers
scattered throughout the archipelago, and these recom-
mendations were based on hard-earned experience.
One of the first duties of teachers was to begin the
training of Filipino assistants. This took form in the
organization of so-called aspirante classes, into which
the best of the Filipino youth who were old enough to
teach, and who had already received some education,
were gathered. These aspirante classes were often held
side by side with classes in the primarj^ schools first
estabUshed by American teachers, and by the beginning
of the year 1902 some of the brightest pupils were able
to assist in primary school work. These classes made
possible the establishment of organized primary schools
under the control of American teachers with Filipino
teachers in the lower grades. Their graduates formed the
nuclei of the first secondary schools, which were estab-
lished in 1903.
The difficulties which teachers had to overcome at the
outset were numerous. In some of the older and richer
towns there were stone or brick schoolhouses more or
less fit for occupation. In such cases a small number of
old wooden benches and a few square feet of blackboard
were usually available. Sometimes there were books
provided by the army : Baldwin's readers in English
or in rudely translated vernacular ; Frye's geographies
translated into Spanish ; and possibly Spanish editions
of the history of the United States. This stock was
greatly improved during the latter half of 1902, and
506 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
teachers were furnished books and supplies as rapidly
as transportation facilities penrdtted.
In 1901 the number of school divisions was increased
to eighteen, and in 1902 to thirty-six, making the school
divisions identical with the thirty-six then existing poUt-
ical subdivisions of the islands. The organization of the
public school system gradually crystallized and assumed
something of the form which it has to-day. Barrio ^
schools were opened, and the work of American teachers
who were detailed to supervise them was thus greatly
increased.
The school system took permanent shape in 1903 and
1904. As it now stands it is controlled by the director
of education, who is responsible for its conduct. Serving
with him, and subject to his control, are an assistant
director and a second assistant director. The directors
have immediate charge of the general office, which has
the following divisions : records, accounting, buildings,
property, academic, industrial and publications. Each
has a chief who is directly responsible for its work.
The islands are now divided into thirty-four school
divisions, corresponding, except in two cases, to provinces.
Each has its superintendent of schools.
The divisions are subdivided into districts, over each
of which there is a supervising teacher who is responsible
for the conduct of its work. Certain of the intermediate
schools are under supervising teachers, while others are
directly under division superintendents.
The school system to-day extends to the remotest
barrios. It is organized and equipped for effective work,
and ready to carry out promptly and effectively the policies
determined upon by the central office.
In each province there is a central provincial school
offering intermediate and secondary courses. Only twelve
of them now give a full four-year course. Others offer
three years, two years or one year of secondary work.
• Barrios are small outlying villages.
EDUCATION 507
There is also a manual training department attached to
the provincial school, or a trade school. So much for
the provincial school system.
At JVIanila we have the PhiUppine Normal School, with
an attendance of six hundred sixty-nine, and the Phil-
ippine School of Arts and Trades, with an attendance
of six hundred fortj^-one. Also, there are the School
of Commerce and the School for the Deaf and Blind,
both supported directly from insular funds. The School
of Household Industries has recently been established
for the training of adult women in embroidery, lace-
making and smiilar arts, so that they may return to
their provinces to estabUsh little centres for the produc-
tion of articles of this nature. This is most important
work. The FiUpinos are endowed with great patience, and
with extraordinary delicacy of touch and manual dexter-
ity. If productive household industries based on these
valuable characteristics are generalized, the prosperity
of the common people will be very greatly increased.
Of the school system in general it can be said that
Filipino teachers have been gradually employed for the
lower grades, and Americans have thus been freed to take
charge of the higher instruction. Priniary instruction
is now in the hands of Filipinos, and intermediate in-
struction is rapidly being tiu-ned over to them. In July,
1913, there were about eighty-five hundi-ed Filipino
teachers, with an estimated total enrolment of five
hundred thirty thousand pupils. The total enrolment
in primary schools was approximately four hundred
ninety thousand, in intermediate schools thirty thousand
nine hundred, and in secondary schools sLx thousand.
'When we compare these figures with the hundred and
seventy-seven thousand reported by the Spanish govern-
ment in 1897, and when we consider the fact that attend-
ance at that time was extremely irregular, it is e\ddent
that noteworthy progress has been made. Mere figiu-es,
however, come far short of telhng the whole story. There
508 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
has been very great improvement in the qiiaHty of the
instruction given. In the old days children ' ' studied out
loud," and the resulting uproar was audible at quite a
distance.
On their arrival in these islands, Americans found that
the educated Filipinos as a rule held honest manual labor
in contempt, while many of those who had managed to
secure professional educations did not practise their
professions, but preferred to live a life of ease. There
were doctors who made no pretence of treating the sick,
and lawyers who had studied simply for the standing
which the title would give them. The Bureau of Educa-
tion has brought about a profound change in public
sentiment ; a change of basic importance to the country.
It was apparent at the outset that any educational sys-
tem adhering closely to academic studies would simply
serve to perpetuate this condition of affairs. Fortunately,
those in charge of the situation were untrammelled by
tradition, and were free to build up a sj'stem that would
meet actual existing needs. The objection to manual
labor offered much difficulty, but it has been largely
overcome. There was, furthermore, a feeling against
industrial work on the part of the people in many regions,
based on the idea that teachers meant to supplement their
salaries by the sale of the industrial i:)roducts of the
schools. This prejudice, which seemed formidable at first,
disappeared when the bureau took up in earnest the intro-
duction of industrial education and vocational training.
Just as the academic organization grew out of local
conditions, so did industrial education accommodate itself
to existing circumstances. In the Spanish colegios,
girls had been taught to do exquisite embroidery and to
make pillow lace. In various parts of the islands, hat
weaving was carried on by families or groups of famiUes.
The making of petates,^ of rough but durable market bas-
kets and of sugar bags constituted widespread local
• Sleeping mats.
■i|Uti«irib«iHuiM
EDUCATION 509
industries. American teachers were quick to see how
these vagrant arts could be organized and commercialized.
An intense rivalry sprang up between supervising
teachers, and as a result the arts of pillow lace-making,
embroidery, Irish crochet, hat weaving, basketry and
macrame work have been introduced and standardized
throughout the primary and intermediate schools. The
excellence of the output is truly astonishing.
Courses in housekeeping and household arts also re-
ceived early attention. The social and economic condi-
tions in the Philippines are such that the so-called
"domestic science" course of .American schools is quite in-
adequate to meet the needs of Filipina girls. Specialized
instruction in hygiene, in the care of the sick, in house-
hold sanitation and in the feeding and care of infants is
included in this course of housekeeping and household
arts, which was taken by fifteen thousand two hundred
twenty-seven girls during 1912-1913.
School gardening was introduced at an early date.
This course now includes the school garden, in which
each pupil has his own indi\idual three and a fourth
by thirteen foot plot, and home gardens which are not
less than four times the size of the school plot. By this
arrangement eighty per cent of the garden work is carried
on at the homes of the pupils or on vacant lots under the
direct supervision of teachers.
In the beginning much of the school agricultural work
was not very practical. Teachers who themselves knew
nothing about agriculture were wedded to the small
"individual plot" idea, which I regret to say still
continues to prevail in some of the schools. On a bit of
ground about three feet by si.x the pupil might plant
one tomato plant, one camote vine, one grain of
rice, two or three eggplants and a flowering plant
or two. This gave him helpful open-air exercise, but
taught him nothing about agriculture. Weeks after the
school year had opened I once visited a number of school
510 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
gardens in Mindoro and found that several of them con-
sisted of rectangular plots marked off on soUd sod with
shells picked up on the beach ! On my return I told the
director of education that three active hens would have
done far more toward preparing soil for cultivating than
had all the childi-en in these towns.
These conditions have changed rapidly since the adop-
tion, three years ago, of a definite policy of agricultural
education consisting of standard school and home gar-
dens and farm schools for Filipinos ; and large com-
munal tracts of land cultivated at the Settlement Farm
Schools for non-Christians.
Lieutenant-Governor Frederick Lewis of Bukidnon
was as deeply disgusted with the former play agriculture
as was I. Exercising, I fear, rather arbitrary authority
over the local Filipino teachers, but with my connivance,
he persuaded them to tm'n their active, strong school-
boys loose on large tracts of the beautiful prairie land
found near almost every school in the sub-province, and
raise crops. As a result of this experiment, first carried
out at Tankulan, each boy took home a bushel or two of
unhulled rice. Parents were enthusiastic, and so were the
boys. From this small beginnmg came the so-called farm-
settlement schools, of which there are thirty-eight among
the non-Christian tribes. On large, well-fenced, carefully
cultivated tracts of ground the schoolboys grow camotes,
upland rice, corn, bananas, cowpeas, beans, pineapples,
egg plants, arrowroot, and in some cases, cacao and coffee.
Instead of learning what incUiddual plants will do when
grown quite by themselves under abnormal conditions,
they learn to produce real crops. They become interested
in the introduction of American sweet potatoes in place
of the less nutritious camotes, in the selection of seed
corn, in the generalization of the better varieties of
bananas, and in other practical matters. Incidentally
they largely furnish the school food supply.
It is of course true that in many of the Fihpino towns
EDUCATION 511
sufficiently extensive tracts of land cannot be had near
the schools to make such a system possible, but, wherever
it can be done, school children should be taught how to
raise crops on a commercial scale, instead of spending
their time on small individual plots of ground. Even
the latter procedure has good results. It teaches them
not to be ashamed to work. It also makes possible the
introduction of home gardens, and through this means
brings the practical production of vegetables into the
home life of the people, with the result that imused yards
and vacant lots are put under cultivation.
The system of establisMng home gardens is one which
meets with my unquaUfied approval. In 1911-1912
there were no less than twenty-two thousand nine hun-
dred fifty-eight of these. It is said to be true that a
large percentage of them soon pass into family care, and
thus not only help to educate parents, but become a per-
manent additional soui'ce of food supply.
The schools have proved a useful medium through
which to bring about the introduction of new and valu-
able plants. There are many school nurseries in which
grow thousands of seedUngs, and these are distributed
at opportmie times.
Woodworking is one of the industrial branches which
received first attention. As previously stated, every one of
the thirty-eight provinces has either a trade school with
first-class equipment, or a manual training department at-
tached to the provincial school. Eighteen schools have al-
ready been established as regularly equipped trade schools.
The Phihppine Normal School and the Philippine School
of Commerce offer special advantages to those studying
for the profession of teaching, or for a business career.
Previous to 1909, industrial instruction was only par-
tially organized. Experience had shown, by that time,
that it was expedient to introduce a degree of specializa-
tion into the courses of study at an early stage of the
child's development. Special intermediate courses were
512 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
therefore organized to meet this need. After finishing the
four-year primary course, the child may choose between a
course in teaching, a course in farming, a trade course,
a course in liousekeeping and household arts and a
general intermediate course. Relatively few children
are at present able to take up secondary courses, and it is
therefore necessary to provide in the lower grades for
instruction which will prepare them for some vocation.
So important has become tliis hne of instruction that it
has been found necessary to maintain, in the general
office, an industrial information department, under a
division chief, which employs a botanist, a designer,
four native craftsmen and a force of travelling super-
visors who inspect trade schools, machinery, school gar-
dens, building sites and the general industrial work done
throughout the public school system. This system of
industrial instruction receives the fullest support from
the Filipino people.
The following quotation from the twelfth annual
report of the director of education serves to give some
idea of the extent to which industrial instruction has been
developed in the Philippines : —
"As is at once evident, with requirements so definitely fixed
for industrial work in the schools, the great majority of the
pupils who are enrolled must be engaged in some branch of
this work. An examination of the figures included among the
statistical tables of this report will show that of the total en-
rolment of 235,740 boys and 138,842 girls during the month
of February, 1912 (an average month), 216,290 boys and 125,203
girls — 91 per cent of the entire monthly enrolment — were
doing some form of industrial work. More specifically, it will
be found that 21,420 boys were taking manual training and
trade work; 96,167 boys were engaged in school gardening
and farming ; 15,463 girls were also engaged in garden work ;
and 68,194 girls were taking up various lines which go under
the general caption of minor industries. . . . Further in this
connection it \\'ill be found that in the subject of lace-making
alone 16,439 girls were receiving instruction; in embroidery,
12,339; and in cooking 4768. There were 22,965 boys and
EDUCATION 513
7709 girls making hats in the industrial classes, 40,264 pupils
making mats, and 104,424 studying the art of basketry.
"... 1309 pupils were enrolled in the regular trade school
classes ; 924 in regular trade courses in other schools ; and
7360 in the shops operated in connection with provincial and
other intermediate schools. In 401 school shops having an
enrolment of 19,949 boys, articles to the value of P142,189.74
were fabricated and from this product, sales to the amount of
P131,418.13 were made during the school year 1911-12. In
addition to the above, 10,3.56 pupils were doing work in 236
primary woodworking shops conducted in connection with
municipal primary schools in all parts of the Islands. The
figures for trade and manual training are taken from the March
report."
This most important result is due in very large measure
to the determination of the Honourable Newton W. Gil-
bert, while secretary of public instruction, to give a practi-
cal turn to the activities of the Bureau of Education. I
must confess that at first I was profoundly dissatisfied
with the work which this bureau was doing, for the
reason that, in my opinion, it tended to produce a horde
of graduates fitted to be clerks, in which event they
would naturally desire to feed at the public crib, or be
likely to become abogadillos,^ who would be constantly
stirring up trouble in their owti tow^ls, in order to make
business for themselves.
Much of the industrial work originally provided for
was at the outset carried out in a haphazard and half-
hearted way. Under Mr. Gilbert's administration it
has been hammered into shape, and we now see in pros-
pect, and in actual realization, practical results of vital
importance to the country.
Personally, I feel especialh' indebted to Mr. Gilbert
for his attitude relative to school work among the non-
Christian tribes. The children of the hill people are
naturally hard-working. In some places they were being
actually taught idleness in the schools, and in most the
' Literally, "little lawyers." This designation is commonly applied
to pettifoggers.
514 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
education given them was of little practical value. I
found Igorot children in Lepanto studying geography.
I asked a boy what the world was, and was told that it
was a little yellow thing about the size of his hand ! This
was a fairly accurate description of a map, the significance
of which had utterly failed to penetrate his understanding.
Filipino teachers who were not considered fit for appoint-
ments in the lowlands were being foisted off on to the
unfortunate hill people, as they were wilUng to accept
very small salaries in lieu of none at all. Prior to Mr.
Gilbert's assumption of office, my frequent complaints
had produced no practical result. He was kind enough
to say to me at the outset that he would give very serious
consideration to my opinions in the matter of educational
work among the people of the non-Christian tribes.
To-day industrial work has taken its proper place in
schools estabhshed for them, and considerable numbers of
them are being fitted for lives of usefulness, although it is
still ti'ue that school facilities among them are, as a rule,
grossly inadequate. In Ifugao, for instance, with at
least a hundred and twenty-five thousand inhabitants,
there are but two schools. In Kalinga, with some
seventy-six thousand inhabitants, the first school has
just been opened. However, this condition will doubt-
less be remedied in time.
The former tendency of FiUpinos to prepare themselves
for trades or professions and then not follow them has been
largely overcome. IVIost of the students graduating from
the Philippine Normal School take up the profession of
teaching, and practically all of the graduates of the
Philippine School of Arts and Trades are following the
lines of work which they have studied. And now I
come to what I deem to be one of the most important ac-
complishments of the Bureau of Education.
Before the American occupation of the Philippines the
Filipinos had not learned to play. There were no athletics
worthy of the name. Athletic sports had their begin-
EDUCATION 515
nings in the games played between soldiers. Gradually
Filipinos became interested enough to attend contests of
this nature. Later, through the influence of American
teachers, they began to take part in them. As soon as
athletic sports reached a point where competition be-
tween towns and provinces was possible, they aroused
the greatest enthusiasm among the people. To-day,
the athletic policy of the Bureau of Education is heartily
approved by all classes. At first, highly specialized
sports were introduced, but the necessity for develop-
ing some form of group athletics in which a large percent-
age of the pupils would take part was soon niade manifest.
For the past few years this programme has been pushed.
Eighty per cent of the pupils now participate in some form
of athletics, and the number steadily increases.
The results are justifying the hope of the original pro-
moters of this athletic programme. The physical develop-
ment of the participants has been wonderful. The spirit
of fair play and sportsmanship, hitherto lacking, has
sprung into being in every section of the islands. Base-
ball not only strengthens the muscles of the players, it
sharpens their wits. Furthermore it empties the cock-
pits to such an extent that their beneficiaries have at-
tempted to secure legislation restricting the time during
which it may be played. It has done more toward abol-
ishing cockfighting than have the laws of the conamission
and the efforts of the Moral Progress League ' combined.
It is indeed a startling sight to see two opposing teams
of youthful savages in Bukidnon or Bontoc "playing the
game" with obvious full knowledge of its refinements,
while their ordinarily silent and reserved parents "root"
with unbridled enthusiasm !
Annual meets between athletic teams from various
groups of pro\'inces, and a general interscholastic meet
held each year at the Philippine Carnival, offer advan-
' An organization wliich long vigorously combated the coek-pits,
but failed to bring about their abolition.
^
516 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
tages of travel to boys who have seldom if ever left their
homes, and promote a general understanding between
the various FiUpino peoples. In the " Far Eastern
Olympiad " held at Manila in 1913, in which China, Japan
and the Philippines participated, the victorious teams
representing the Phihppines were largely composed of
schoolboys.
When the American school system was organized, it
was found that adequate accommodations for school
children were almost entirely lacking. In some of the
towns there were long, low stone or brick buildings,
small and poorly hghted. They were usually located in
the larger centres of population, and had no grounds that
could be used for play or garden purposes. In most of
the barrios, there were no schooUiouses at all.
The American teachers at once set to work to put the
old buildings into decent condition. Some private
houses were rented, and others were donated, for school
purposes. In a number of cases the teachers attempted,
as best they could, to construct buildings for the thousands
of pupils who wished to avail themselves of school priv-
ileges. At that time the whole burden of such con-
struction fell upon the municipalities. The insular
government had given them no aid. Many mistakes
were made during these early days, and many of the
buildings then erected have long since fallen into ruin.
The experience gained has demonstrated the folly of
spending large sums of money on anything but strong,
permanent construction. It will be necessary, for a long
time, to depend to some extent upon temporary buildings ;
and when these can be erected at low cost they are good
provisional expedients, but destructive storms and the rav-
ages of wood-eating insects quickly reduce them to ruins.
The demand upon local funds for the maintenance of
schools was so pressing, and these funds were so limited,
that it was found impossible to erect modern buildings
without insular aid. Wlien the necessity for help was
s
a
z
w
u
s
EDUCATION 517
brought to the attention of the insular authorities, the
commission responded by enacting a bill which ap-
propriated $175,000 from the congressional reHef fund
for the construction of school buildings. Two years
later $150,000 were appropriated and, in August, 1907,
an additional $175,000 were voted for this purpose.
A total of $500,000 was thus made available by the Com-
mission before the Philippine assembly came into existence.
This amount was augmented by provincial and munic-
ipal funds and voluntary contributions, and the erection
of twenty-two buildings for provincial high schools,
twenty-sLx for trade and manual training schools, and
fifty-seven for intermediate schools other than provincial
was thus made possible.
The first act of the Phihppine Assembly was to vote
for an appropriation of $500,000, available in four equal
annual instalments, to aid municipalities in constructing
school buildings. The bill was duly approved by the
commission and became a law. Under its terms, munici-
paUties received $2 for every dollar furnished locally, the
maximum insular allotment for one project being $2500.
This bill was later supplemented by an act which appro-
priated an additional $500,000 under similar conditions.
Three subsequent acts have been passed, each appro-
priating the sum of $175,000 for the aid of municipalities
in constructing school buildings under such conditions as
the secretary of public instruction may see fit to prescribe.
The funds made available by the three appropriations
last mentioned are being used chiefly for the erection
of large central school buildings at provincial capitals.
The sums appropriated by the Philippine Legislature
since the assembly was established have made possible
the construction of five hundred twenty-nine school build-
ings, of which two hundred seventy-thi'ee are finished
and three hundred nineteen are being buUt.
There have been additional appropriations for the con-
struction of a Philippine Normal School already com-
VOL. II — C
518 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
pleted at a cost of $225,000, a girls' dormitory now build-
ing to cost $147,000 and a building for the Philippine
School of Arts and Trades to cost approximately $250,000.
The bureau has required that school sites for central
schools shall have a minimum of one hectare' of land, and
the barrio schools a minimum of one-half hectare, for
playgrounds and gardens. There have been secured to
date three hundred eighty-nine school sites of ten thou-
sand or more square metres, and six hundred forty-three
sites of at least five thousand square metres. These rep-
resent the results obtained during the past three years.
The Bureau has formulated a very definite construc-
tion policy. Its programme may be outlined briefly as
follows : —
1. The preparation of a set of standard plans for permanent
buildings which provide for a unit system of construction
whereby additions may be made ^vithout injury to the original
structure, and which shall be within the limited means available.
2. The selection of suitable school sites.
3. A decent and creditable standard in temporary buildings.
4. The proper care and maintenance of schoolhouses and
grounds.
5. The equipment of every school with the necessary furniture
and appliances of simple but substantial character.
From the beginning, other branches of the government
have clearly seen that no agency is so effective as the
Bureau of Education in the dissemination of knowledge
among the people. It has therefore been called upon
frequently to spread information, either through class-
room instruction or through the system of civico-ed-
ucational lectures established by an act of the Philip-
pine Legislature. The Bureau of Health has frequently
requested it to instract the people in the means to be
used for the prevention of diseases, particularly cholera,
smallpox and dysentery, and has always met with a ready
response. Great good has doubtless been accomplished
1 A hectare is equivalent to two and a half acres.
EDUCATION 519
in this way, but with regret I must call attention to the
fact that in connection with a matter of fundamental
importance the Bureau of Education has signally failed to
practice what it preached, or at all events what it was re-
quested to preach. The Philippines are constantly men-
aced by epidemic diseases, such as cholera and bacillary
dysentery, while amoebic dysentery occurs in every munic-
ipality in the islands and is a very serious factor in the
annual death-rate, hook-worm disease is common, and
typhoid fever is gradually increasing in frequency. The
question of the proper disposition of human feces is there-
fore one of fundamental importance. It seems incredible,
but is nevertheless true, that in connection with a large
majority of the modern school buildings which have been
erected there are no sanitary facilities of any sort whatso-
ever. The condition of the ground in the rear of many
of these buildings can better be imagined than described.
This state of affairs not only sets an evil example to the
children, but exposes them to actual danger of infection
with the above-mentioned diseases. In many of the special
provincial government towns where a great effort has
been made to have the people clean up, I have found
school grounds and the private premises of school teachers,
including, I regret to say, those of American school
teachers, to be in a more unsanitary state than were any
others in town ; and finally, in despair of securing improve-
ment in any other way, I have fallen back on the courts
and caused teachers responsible for such conditions to be
brought before justices of the peace and fined.
The Teachers' Camp at Baguio was long maintained
in a shockingly unsanitary condition ; and as a result
many persons who went there seeking health and recrea-
tion became infected with intestinal diseases, and were
incapacitated for work during more or less prolonged
periods. In deahng with this situation I finally resorted
to radical measures, but got results.
Such a state of affairs is wholly incomprehensible to
520 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
me. School-teachers should be the first to set the people
practical examples in sane living, which means sanitary
living, and should improve the great practical opportunity
afforded by the public schools to bring home to their pupils
certain homely but much-needed lessons in ordinary decency.
In another important particular the Bureau of Education
has, in my opinion, fallen short of performing its manifest
duty. Not only does beri-beri kill some five thousand Fili-
pinos outright, annually, and cripple ten times as many,
but it is believed to be a determining factor in the deaths
of large numbers of infants through its untoward in-
fluence upon their mothers. As previously stated, the
fact that it is due to a diet made up too largely of polished
rice has been demonstrated beyond a reasonable doubt.
Persons who eat unpoUshed rice do not contract it.
Tiqui-tiqui, the substance removed from rice in the process
of polishing, has proved to be a very effective remedy for it.
The use of polished rice should therefore be discouraged,
yet at the Phihppine Normal School, where the brightest
and best youths of the land receive their final education
before going out to teach their fellows, polished rice is fur-
nished the students ; and the director of health, and I
myself, have sought in vain to have the unpolished
article substituted for it.
The secretary of public instruction has stated, with
obvious truth, that it is only when polished rice forms
a very large element in the diet that there is actual danger
of its causing beri-beri, and so far as I am aware no case
of beri-beri has occurred at this school ; but the practical
result of the present practice will be that the graduates,
while instructing their pupils in the dangers of the use
of polished rice, will themselves continue to use it. There
exists at the present time a foolish prejudice against
unpolished rice, which, although far more nutritious
and actually more palatable than the polished article,
does not look so attractive and is commonly considered
"poor man's food." So long as the instructors in the
EDUCATION 521
public schools continue to teach by precept that its use
is dangerous, and by example that it is safe, the undis-
criminating and ignorant Filipino public, which does not
draw fine distinctions, will be encouraged to continue
to eat it, will eat it in excess, and will pay the penalty.
The Bureau of Education has cooperated with the
Bureau of Lands in instructing the people as to the right
to acquire homesteads and free patents. It has also
given the Bureau of Public Works assistance in promoting
the campaign for good roads. Its system of civico-
educational lectures has met with fair results. Thousands
of people have secured information relative to the rights
and duties of citizens, the prevention of human and
animal diseases, and the growing of corn, coconuts and
other useful crops. A corn-raising contest in 1912 was
participated in by more than thirty thousand boys, and
thousands of people attended the demonstrations which
formed a part of the campaign. This is a most important
matter. Corn is a far better food than rice.
At first the only books available for use in the schools
were those prepared for American children. These were
soon found to be unsuited to the needs of Filipino children,
and teachers were set to work to prepare more suitable
text-books. Book companies in the United States
quickly interested themselves, and as a result there is now
in general use a comprehensive series of text-books partic-
ularly adapted to the needs of Filipinos.
In the secondary grades American text-books are quite
generally used, although a few special texts deahng with
literature, rhetoric, economic conditions and colonial
history have been prepared in the islands.
In order to keep the teacher in the field well informed,
the Bureau of Education has issued a large number of
bulletins and circulars on matters of current interest.
These bulletins have covered instruction in domestic
science, drawing, manners and right conduct, school
buildings and grounds, embroidery and athletics, and
522 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
have conveyed information as to the general and special
courses of study followed in such schools as the School
of Arts and Trades, the School of Commerce and the
Normal School. They have received much commenda-
tion from educators in the United States and the Orient.
When pubhc schools were first opened children crowded
into them by thousands. With them came many adults
who beheved that they could learn English in a period
of a few weeks, or in a few months at the most. No doubt
they entered the schools in many cases with the idea of
thus conciliating the victorious American nation. It was
not long until they realized that there was no royal road
to learning. Then came a slump in attendance. Largely
through the influence of the American teacher and his
Filipino assistants, the attendance was again built up.
This time the people clearly understood that education
is not a matter of a few months or weeks. It is greatly
to their credit that they have now settled down to a realiza-
tion of what public education is, and are giving the public
school system most loyal support.
The industrial programme has been accepted with
enthusiasm, and without doubt there are in the islands
to-day thousands of people who believe that it is a Filipino
product.
There is an interest in athletic sports that can hardly
be equalled in any other country. The crowds of en-
thusiastic spectators that attend every meet of importance
testify to the hold that such sports have taken upon the
people, whose attitude toward all forms of education
is such that it needs only adequate revenue to develop
an effective school system along the broadest lines.
Manhood suffrage does not exist in the Philippines.
The qualifications for an elector are as follows : he must
be a male citizen at least twenty-three years of age, with
a legal residence of six months previous to election in the
municipality where his vote is cast, and must belong
to at least one of the three following classes : —
EDUCATION 523
1. Those who, previous to August 13, 1898, held the office of
municipal captain, gobernadorcillo, alcalde, lieutenant, cabeza
de barangay, or member of any ayuntamiento.
2. Those who hold real property to the value of S250 or
annually pay $15 or more of established taxes.
3. Those who speak, read or write English or Spanish.
With a population of approximately eight million
people, there were, in 1912, two hundred forty-eight
thousand qualified voters. Of these a large number had
obtained the franchise because they belonged to class 1
or class 2. Death yearly claims its quota from both
these classes, but the public schools more than make up
the decrease by their yearly contribution. Any boy
who finishes the primary course possesses the Uterary
qualifications of an elector, and will become one on at-
taining legal age.
In 1912 there were graduated from the primary schools
11,200 pupils, of whom approximately 7466 were males;
from the intermediate schools 3062 pupils, of whom 2295
were males ; and from the secondary schools 221 pupils,
of whom 175 were males. In that year alone the
schools therefore contributed 9936 to the contingent of
persons qualified by literary attainments to vote. Of these
175 are perhaps capable of intelligently holding municipal
and provincial offices, and to this number may probably
be added half of the 2295 intermediate male graduates,
making an increase of 1362 in the possible leaders of the
people.
The pubUc schools, however, do not limit their con-
tributions to that part of the electoral body having lit-
erary qualifications only. Vocational training, it is
true, is limited in the primary grades to cottage indus-
tries ; but no pupil is graduated from the primary schools
with only literary quaUfications. In some form or other,
he has had a vocational start. His own energy must
determine the use he makes of it.
The intermediate schools add vocational training to
524 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
increased academic training. All their graduates have
done three years' work in the general course, leading to a
literary course in the high schools, the course in farming,
the course in teaching, the business course, the course
in housekeeping and household arts or the trade course.
Of the graduates of secondary schools a small part have
highly specialized vocational training; but the great
majority have followed the literary course and have
undoubtedly done this with the idea of entering pohtical
life. Rome was not built in a day, and in spite of her-
culean American efforts, it will be a long time before
Filipinos cease to regard a certain kind of literary culture
as the proper basis for statesmanship. It has been said
of them that they have "the fatal gift of oratory" ! The
future leaders of the Filipino people, dependent or in-
dependent, must be the output of the pubhc schools.
The danger is that the number of would-be leaders will
be disproportionately great in comparison with that of
the useful but relatively inconspicuous rank and file.
There are in the Philippine Islands fully twelve hundred
thousand children of school age. The present available
resources are sufficient to educate less than one-half of
that number.
The claim has been made that a due proportion of the
very limited revenues of the insular government has not
been expended for educational purposes. It is not justi-
fied by the facts. It is certainly important to keep the
Filipinos alive, and if this is not done, they can hardly be
educated. The expenditure to date ^ from insular funds
for health work, including cost of necessary new buildings,
has been approximately S9,630,000 ; that for educational
purposes, also including buildings, approximately
$21,376,000.
As a simple matter of fact, the Bureau of Education
has been treated not only with liberality but in one re-
gard with very great leniency. Taking advantage of
' End of fiscal year 1913.
The Sacred Thee uf the Iflgai;*.
This great tree at Quiangan is considered sacred by the Ifugaos of that region.
They believe that when it dies they too will perish.
EDUCATION 525
the friendly attitude of the legislative body and of the
people toward education, one of its earlier directors in-
curred expense with utter disregard for appropriations.
He repeatedly made deficits of $150,000 to $250,000 and
then in effect calmly asked us what we were going to do
about it. After stating that I, for one, would never vote
to make good another deficit incurred by him while he was
allowed to remain in the service, and at a time when I
was threatening to hold the director of forestry per-
sonally responsible for a deficit of S5000 resulting in
his bureau from unforeseen expenditures by forest offi-
cers in remote places, and therefore more or less excusable,
I learned that the usual shortage in the Bureau of Edu-
cation had again occurred and was being covered by the
quiet transfer of a sum approximating $200,000.
The present director of education believes that the
total number of children who would enter the pubhc
schools without compulsion, if adequate facihties were
provided, is approximately eight hundred thousand.
Until revenues materially increase not many more
than five hundred thousand of these can be educated,
if due regard is had for other imperative necessities
of the government and the people. If the people of
the United States, or any political body composed
of them, really desire to help the Filipinos toward the
practical realization of their ideal of an independent,
self-sustaining government, let them stop talking about
the advisability of now conferring upon the present
generation of adults additional rights and privileges, and
provide the hard cash necessary to make mtelligent,
well-trained citizens out of the three hundred thousand
children who are now annually left without educational
advantages which they earnestly desire, and greatly need.
Under the Spanish regime private education as dis-
tinguished from that provided for by the government
attained considerable importance. At the time of the
American occupation, Santo Tomas, the oldest univer-
626 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
sity under the American flag, had colleges of medicine
and surgery, theology, law, engineering and philosophy.
There were also numerous private so-called "colleges"
for boys and girls and very numerous smaller private
institutions. At first the establishment of pubUc schools
had no apparent effect on those conducted privately other
than to induce them to introduce the study of EngUsh,
but as years went by, the organization, modern methods
and industrial development of the public schools forced
the private institutions into activity. The law provides
that the secretary of public instruction may give ap-
proval and recognition to such private schools as meet
certain requirements, and in 1910 a division superintend-
ent of schools was detailed to assist him in carrying out
this provision. His report for the period ending Septem-
ber 1, 1912, is a very interesting document. It compares
the Philippine private schools with those of South America,
very much to the disadvantage of the former. It notes
particidarly the lack of manual training in boys' schools
and the lack of standardization in the manual training
of girls' schools ; and speaks of the allegiance of the
Filipino institution to the classical programme of mediae-
val institutions of learning. It is a notable fact, however,
that English is gaining. Thirty-four private schools are
giving their entire primary and intermediate courses in
that language ; nine are giving primary, intermediate
and high school courses in it, and two are so giving
all courses, including the college course.
These private institutions are employing pubhc and
normal school graduates as teachers to a constantly in-
creasing extent. They are bringing their courses of
study into conformity and competition with those of the
public schools ; are introducing athletics ; using stand-
ard patterns and materials in their industrial work, and
rapidly improving their buildings and equipment. Dur-
ing the year 1911-1912 improvements to the value of
$100,000 were made in four of the Manila private schools :
EDUCATION 527
the Jesuits are planning a new college to cost 81,000,000 ;
the Dominicans an expenditure of 3500,000 on a new uni-
versity, and the Liceo de Manila looks forward to becom-
ing the most modern and best equipped school in the
islands.
Twenty-five private schools have already received
government recognition and approval.
No account of education would be complete without
mention of the University of the Philippines. Higher
education is the great conscious goal of Filipino desire ;
and to meet the growing need for it, an act passed June
IS, 1908, established this institution. Subsequent amend-
ments authorized, when practicable, colleges of liberal arts,
law, social and political science, medicine and siu-gery, phar-
macy, dentistry, veterinary science, engineering, mines,
agriculture and fine arts. At present there are in actual
operation the colleges of hberal arts, veterinary science,
engineering, medicine and surgery', law, agriculture and
the school of fine arts. Instruction in pharmacy is given
in the College of Liberal Arts, and instruction in forestry
is given in the College of Agriculture. By special acts
of the Philippine legislature, several scholarships have
been provided, but for the most part the university is
open only to those who can afford to live in Manila dur-
ing their period of attendance.
The opening of some of these colleges has served sharply
to call attention to one of the present weaknesses of the
Filipino people. It is but a few years since agriculture
was well-nigh prostrated as a result of the decimation of
cattle and horses throughout the islands by contagious
diseases. The need for well-trained veterinarians was,
and is, imperative. Filipinos properly qualified to under-
take veterinary work would be certain of profitable em-
ployment. A good veterinary course was offered in
1909. At the same time the School of Fine Arts was
opened. No one took the veterinary course the first
year. Admissions to the School of Fine Arts were
528 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
closed when they reached seven hundred fourteen. At
the end of the school year 1912-1913 the students in the
Veterinary College numbered twenty-seven as compared
with six hundred ninety-four in the School of Fine Arts.
The grand total enrolment of this latter institution since
its organization is thu'ty-two hundred twenty-nine, while
that of the Veterinary College during the same period is
forty-seven. It is necessary to restrict attendance at
the School of Fine Arts. Until there is a livelier and
more general interest in saving carabaos than in paint-
ing them, the country will not attain to a high degree
of material prosperity through the efforts of its own
people.
I take genuine pleasure and pride in briefly describing
the work of the Philippine Training School for Nurses.
I have always beUeved that young Fihpina women would
make excellent trained nurses, and I earnestly endeavoiu-ed
to have a certain number of them included among the
first government students sent to the United States
for education soon after the establishment of civil
government. In this effort I rather ignominiously failed.
The prejudices of the Filipino people were then radically
opposed to such a course, and my colleagues of the com-
mission were not convinced that it would lead to useful
practical results.
To the Bureau of Education must be given credit for
inaugurating the movement which has resulted in the
firm establishment of the profession of nursing in the
Philippine Islands as an honourable avocation for women.
At an early date it employed an American trained nurse
to give instruction, and inaugurated a preparatory course
at its Normal School dormitory. The work at the out-
set could not be made of a very practical nature, but
after a number of bright and well-trained young women
had become interested in it arrangements were perfected
for giving them actual training at the government in-
stitution then known as the Civil Hospital. Here strong
EDUCATION 529
racial prejudices of the Filipinos were gradually over-
come, and the student nurses soon showed themselves
to be unexpectedly practical, faithful and efficient.
Later when the great Philippine General Hospital was
estabUshed it became possible for the Bureau of Health
to open a school under the immediate control of the chief
nurse, and to take over all the work of training nurses.
Students at this school are supported at government
expense while in training. Its opportunities and advan-
tages are open to young men, as well as to young women,
and may be extended to a number not exceeding one
hundred six of each sex at a given time.
The training of young women began sooner, and thus
far has resulted more satisfactorily, than has that of
young men, although many of the latter are now making
good progress.
The work is popular, and as there are more candidates
than places only the more promising are admitted. They
have shown that they possessed common-sense bj^ avoid-
ing the traps set for them by Filipino politicians and
newspaper reporters. Their tact and self-respect have
brought them safely through many embarrassing, and a
few cruelly trjdng, situations forced upon them by the
unkindness or brutality of those whom they have sought
to serve. Their gentleness and kindness have endeared
them to their patients, and it is now a common thing for
Americans to request the services of Filipina nurses.
Their faithfulness and efficiency have won the confidence
of patients and physicians aUke. Their courage has
enabled them to triumph over the prejudices of their
own people, and to perform many hard, disagreeable
tasks, and meet some very real dangers, -without faltering.
The gratefulness which they have shown for the oppor-
tunity to help their people, no less than for the interest
taken in them by Americans, has won them many friends.
The training of Filipina nurses has passed far beyond the
experimental stage ; it is a great success.
530 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
Instruction in the Philippine Nurses' Training School is
now largely given by members of the university faculty
and the graduates of this school must certainly be num-
bered among the most highly educated women of the Philip-
pines. More of them are sadly needed, not only in gov-
ernment institutions, but in private hospitals, and es-
pecially in the provincial towns, where a few of them are
already engaging in district nursing with unqualified
success. The country might well get on for the present
with fewer lawyers, and fewer artists, if the number of
nurses could be increased.
Equally praiseworthy is the work of the students and
graduates of the College of Medicine and Surgery, which
is housed in a commodious and adequate building. Their
theoretical instruction is of a very high character, and
they have almost unrivalled facilities for practical clini-
cal work in the Philippine General Hospital. Entrance
requirements are high and the course of study is severe.
A number of the best students do post-graduate work in
the hospital, where they are employed as internes and
assistants. As a result, the college is turning out grad-
uates admirably qualified for the great work which awaits
them among their own people.
The other colleges of the university are, for the most
part, doing their work efficiently and well, and as a rule
their students are showing appreciation of the opportu-
nities afforded them, and are utilizing them to good
advantage.
Important educational work is being carried on by
various bureaus of the government. The Bureau of
Lands has an excellent school for surveyors. The Bureau
of Printing is in itself a great industrial school, and
ninety-five per cent of its work is now done by Filipinos
trained within its walls, while many others who have
had practical instruction there have found profitable
private employment.
An excellent school is conducted in Bilibid Prison with
EDUCATION 531
convicts as teachers. A very large proportion of the
prisoners receive practical instruction in manual training
and are fitted to earn honest livings when their sentences
expire. Furthermore, they readily secure employment,
as the men discharged from this institution have in many
cases earned well-deserved reputations for honesty and
industry.
All the women confined at Bilibid are taught to make
pillow lace.
At the Bontoc Prison, the non-Christian tribe convicts
of the islands are taught useful industries, and so satis-
factoiy are the results that I have formed the habit of
calling the institution my "university."
At the Iwahig agricultural penal colony convicts are
taught modern agricultural methods under a system such
that they gradually become owners of houses, land and
agricultural implements and may in the end have their
families with them so that they are well settled for life
when their sentences expire, if they take advantage of
the opportunities given them.
The educational policy which the United States has
adopted in dealing with the Filipinos is without a parallel
in history'. I am glad to have assisted in its inauguration,
and I am proud of its results, which will make themselves
felt more and more as the years go by. Even now Eng-
lish is far more widely spoken in the Philippine Islands
than Spanish ever was, and this is a boon the magnitude
of which cannot be appreciated by those who have not
had brought home to them by experience the disadvan-
tages incident to the existence of very numerous dialects
among the inhabitants of one country.
WTien it is remembered that in the present instance
each of these dialects is very poor in hterature, and that
its use is limited to a million or two of human beings at
the most, the enormous value of instruction in English
will be realized, to some extent at least.
CHAPTER XX
The Exploration of Non-Chkistian Territory
At the time of their discovery the Philippine Islands
were inhabited by a very large number of distinct tribes
the civilization of which was directly comparable with that
of the Negritos, the Igorots and the Moros as they exist
to-day. Do not understand me to imply that the Negritos,
the Igorots and the Moros have attained to the same stage
of civilization.
The Negritos belong to a distinct race. They are
woolly-headed, nearly black, and of ahnost dwarfish
stature. They seem to be incapable of any considerable
progress and cannot be civilized. Intellectually they
stand close to the bottom of the human series, being about
on a par with the South African bushmen and the Austra-
lian blacks.
The Igorots are of Malayan origin. They are un-
doubtedly the descendants of the earlier, if not the ear-
liest, of the Malay invaders of the Philippines, and up to
the time of the .\merican occupation had retained their
primitive characteristics.
The Moros, or Mohammedan Malays of the southern
Philippines, exemplify what may be considered the
highest stage of civilization to which Malaj's have ever
attained unaided. They are the descendants of the latest
Malay invaders and were, at the time of the discovery
of the islands, rapidly prosecuting an effective campaign
for their mohammedanization.
At the outset the Spaniards made extraordinary progress
in subduing, with comparatively little bloodshed, many of
these different peoples, but the Moros at first successfully
532
THE EXPLORATION OF NON-CHRISTIAN TERRITORY 533
resisted them, were not brought under anything approach-
ing control until the day of steam gun-boats and modem
firearms, and were still causing serious trouble when
Spanish sovereignty ended.
As time elapsed the political and military estabhsh-
ments of Spam in the Philippines seem to have lost much
of their virility. At all events the campaign for the
control and advancement of even the non-j\Iohammedan
wild peoples was never pushed to a successful termination,
and there to-day remains a very extensive territory,
amounting to about one-half of the total land area,
which is populated by non-Christian peoples so far
as it is populated at all. Such peoples make up ap-
proximately an eighth of the entire population.
When civil government was established I was put in
general executive control of matters pertaining to the non-
Christian tribes. Incidentally, a word about that rather
unsatisfactory term "non-Christian." It has been found
excessively difficult to find a single word which would
satisfactorily designate the peoples, other than the
civilized and Christianized peoples commonly known as
Filipinos, which inhabit the Philippines. They cannot
be called pagan because some of them are ]VIohammedan,
while others seem to have no form of religious worship.
They cannot be called wild, for some of them are quite
as gentle, and as highly civilized, as are their Christian
neighbours. The one characteristic which they have in
common is their refusal to accept the Christian faith, and
their adherence to their ancient refigious beliefs, or their
lack of such beliefs as the case may be. I am therefore
forced to employ the term "non-Christian" in designating
them, although I fully recognize its awkwardness.
While serving with the First Philippine Commission
I was charged with the duty of writing up the non-
Christian tribes for its report, and tried to exhaust all
available sources of information. The result of my investi-
gations was most unsatisfactory to me. I could neither
VOL. H D
534 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
find out how many wild tribes there were, nor could I
learn with any degree of accuracy the territory which
the kno\vn tribes occupied, much less obtain accurate
information relative to their physical characteristics, their
customs or their beliefs.
The most satisfactory source of information was the
work of Blumentritt, an Austrian ethnological writer ;
but Blumentritt had never set foot in the Philippines, and
I suspected at the outset what later proved to be the
case, that his statements were very inaccurate. He
recognized more than eighty tribes of which thirty-six
were said by him to be found in northern Luzon.
As it was obviously impossible to draft adequate legisla-
tion for the control and civilization of numerous savage
or barbarous peoples without reliable data on which to
base it, and as such data were not available, I had to get
them for myself, and undertook a series of explorations,
carried out during the dry seasons so far as possible, in
order to gather my information on the ground.
I first visited Benguet in July and August, 1900.
On my second northern trip I traversed the province of
Benguet from south to north, arrived at Cervantes in
Lepanto, and was about to leave for the territory of the
Bontoc head-hunters when I received a telegraphic sum-
mons to return to Manila for the inauguration of Governor
Taft on July 4, 1901.
The following year such time as could be spared from
my duties at Manila was necessarily devoted to the search
for a suitable island for the site of a proposed leper colony ;
but in 1903 I was able to make a somewhat extended ex-
ploring trip, traversing the country of the Tingians in
Abra, passing through the mountains which separate
that province from Lepanto, visiting the numerous
settlements of the Lepanto Igorots and continuing my
journey to Cayan, Bagnin, Sagada and Bontoc; and
thence through various settlements of the Bontoc Igorots
to Banaue in the territory of the Ifugaos.
Entrance to the Quiangax 8cHOOL-HorsE.
The Ifugao boys on either side of the stairway helped build this remarkable
structure. Most of their companions in the work were older, but ail were
of school age.
THE EXPLORATION OF NON-CHRISTIAN TERRITORY 535
The latter portion of the trip was not unattended with
excitement. A few weeks before a fairlj^ strong con-
stabulary detachment, anned with carbines, had been
driven to the top of a conical hill in the Ifugao country
and besieged there until a runner made his way out at
night and brought assistance. We felt that there was
some uncertainty as to the reception which would be
accorded us. The Bontoc Igorots who accompanied
us did not feel that there was any uncertainty whatever
as to what awaited them, but were more than anxious to
go along with us, as they were spoiling for a fight with
their ancient enemies.
We had to use them for carriers to transport our bag-
gage, and each carrier insisted on having an armed com-
panion to lug his lance and shield. As a precautionary
measure we took with us twenty-five Bontoc Igorot
constabulary soldiers armed with carbines, while each of
the five American members of the party carried a heavy
six-shooter. We also had with us a dog which was
supposed to be especially clever at seasonably discovering
ambushes and giving warning.
We were able to use horses more or less as far as the
top of the Polis range, but the trail down its eastern
slopes was impracticable for horses and dangerous for
pedestrians.
We shivered for a night on a chilly mountain crest, and
the next day continued our journey to Banaue. When
still several miles from the town, we were met by an old
Ifugao chief with two companions. They marched
boldly up to us and inquired whether we were planning
to visit Banaue. On receiving an affirmative reply,
the chief asked if our visit was friendly or hostile. I
assured him that we were friends who had come to get
acquainted with the Ifugaos. He said he was glad to
hear this, but that after all it did not really matter. If
we wished to be friends, they were willing to be friendly ;
but if we wanted to fight, they would be glad to give
536 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
US a chance. As he and his companions were facing a
column of eighty-seven armed men I rather admired his
courage.
He next presented me with what I now know to be an
Ifugao gift of friendship, to wit, a white rooster and six
eggs, after which" he took from one of his companions a
bottle filled with bubud,^ and having first taken a drink
to show me that it was not poisoned, handed it to me.
I did my duty, and we were friends.
We then proceeded on our way to Banaue, being obliged
to plunge down through the rice terraces to the bottom of
a deep canon and then climb two almost perpendicular
earthen walls before reaching the house of the chief.
I was completely exhausted when I began this climb,
and did not feel comfortable clinging like a tree frog to
the face of a clay bank with nothing to support me except
rather shallow holes which could be better negotiated by
Ifugaos, possessed of prehensile toes, than by men wearing
shoes. Seeing my predicament, an Ifugao climbed down
from above, pulled my coat-tails up over my head and
hung on to them, while another came up behind me,
put his hands on my heels and carefully placed my toes
in the holes prepared for their reception. Thus aided, I
finally reached the top.
The Ifugaos did not invite us to enter their houses,
but allowed us to camp under them. I was assigned
quarters under the house of the chief. It was tastefully
ornamented, at the height of the floor, with a very striking
frieze of alternating human skulls and carabao skulls.
One of my reasons for coming to Banaue at this time
was that I had heard that the people of seven other
towns had recently formed a confederation and attacked
it, losing about a hundred and fifty heads before they were
driven off. I therefore thought that there might be a
favourable opportunity to learn something of head-hunting,
and to secure some photographs illustrating customs
■ A fermented alcoholic beverage made from rice.
THE EXPLORATION OF NON-CHRISTIAN TERRITORY 537
which I hoped would become rare in the near future, as
indeed they did.
Trouble promptly arose between our Bontoc friends
and the Ifugaos. The Bontocs wanted to purchase food.
Some baskets of camotes were brought and thrown down
before them and they were told that they were welcome
to camotes, which were suitable food for Bontoc Igorots
and pigs, but that if they wanted rice they would have to
come out and get it. As twenty-five of them were armed
with carbines and all the rest had lances, shields and
head-axes, they were more than anxious to go, but this we
could hardlj- permit ! So we put them in a stockade under
guard, and subsisted them ourselves, a thing which neces-
sarily rendered our stay brief, as provisions soon ran low.
The Ifugaos of Banaue showed themselves most
friendly, but warned us that a large hostile party was
waiting to attack us at Kababuyan, a short distance
down the trail. ]My mission to the Ifugao country was
to estabUsh kindly relations with the people rather than
kill them, so I did my best to get on good terms with the
inhabitants of the more friendly settlements.
The day before we left, people came in haste from a
neighbouring village to advise us that one of their men
had lost his head to the Ifugaos of Cambiilo, and begged
us to join them in a punitive expedition, assuring us that
there were numerous pigs and chickens at Cambiilo and
that our combined forces would have no difficulty in
whipping the people of that place, after wliich we could
have a most enjoyable time plundering the town, while
they would secure a goodly toll of heads wliich might
be advantageously emploj-ed in further ornamenting
their Banaue homes. They were greatly disgusted when
we declined to join them, and said they would do the job
anyhow, as no doubt they did.
First, however, they insisted that we come with them
to see that the story they had told us was true. We soon
overtook a procession carrying a very much beheaded
538 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
man who was being borne out for burial on his shield,
and were readily granted permission to attend his funeral.
It was an interesting and weird affair. After it was over
we hastened back to Banaue, in constant fear of breaking
our necks by falling down the high, nearly perpendicular,
walls of the rice terraces, on the tops of v/hich we had to
walk. Most of us discarded our shoes, in order to mini-
mize the danger of a fall. One member of the party,
who insisted on wearing his, glissaded down a steep
wall and had to be pulled out of the mud and water at
the bottom. Fortunately he was not injured.
Having succeeded beyond our expectations in establish-
ing friendly relations with the Ifugaos of Banaue we took
our departure, requesting them to tell their neighbours
about us and promising to visit them again. I returned
to Bontoc and made my way to Baguio in Benguet through
the Agno River valley, stopping at numerous settlements
of the Benguet Igorots on the way.
It was not possible for me to make further explorations
in the territory of the Luzon wild people until 1905. In
this year I set out, accompanied by Mr. Samuel E. Kane,
an American who spoke Ilocano exceptionally well, and
Colonel Bias Villamor, a former Insurgent officer, who
was more familiar with the territory which I desired to
visit than any one else of whom I could learn. He had
established friendly relations with some of its inhabitants
during the insurrection.
We visited several of the wilder settlements of the
Tingians in Abra, then made a hard climb over Mount
Pico de Loro and descended its eastern slopes to the
Tingian village of Balbalasan in the Saltan River valley.
Its people, while not really head-hunters, were often obUged
to defend themselves against their Kalinga neighbours,
and were consequently well armed.
After a brief rest we continued our journey down the
Saltan River, visiting settlements on the high hills in
its immediate vicinity.
THE EXPLORATION OF NON-CHRISTIAN TERRITORY 539
At Salecsec we had an extended conference with an old
chief named Atumpa, a very acute man of wide ex-
perience and sound judgment, who exercised great in-
fluence in the territory through which we had just passed.
Atumpa, satisfied as to our good intentions, consented
to accompany us into the Kalinga countrJ^ A Kalinga
chief named Saking, whom Villamor had known during
the insurrection, met us here, and told us of a war trail
into his territory which would greatly shorten our pro-
posed journey, and make it possible for us to reach in
one day the first of the previously unknown Kalinga
settlements of the Mabaca River valley.
Saking, observing that the people in the Saltan valley
had cleaned off their old trails, and in some cases had
built new ones for our convenience, went ahead of us to
his own country in order to tr}^ to j^ersuade his people
to do some trail work, leaving us to follow him.
Our route lay over the top of a high peak called "Dead
Man's Mountain" because a good many people who
tried to climb it never came down, the true explanation
of their failure to appear being no doubt that they perished
from exposure during violent storms.
While ascending this mountain I suffered an attack of
partial paralysis of the legs, due, as I now have reason
to beheve, to heart strain, but was able to continue the
journey after a brief rest and the use of stimulants.
A considerable part of our trip down the steep northern
slopes of this mountain was made by utihzing a stream
bed in lieu of a trail, and was in consequence very un-
comfortable and somewhat dangerous, as the chance
for broken bones was good. Fortunately, however, no one
was badly hurt.
At the first Kalinga village we found about a hundred
and twenty fighting men armed with shields and head-
axes, but Saking and his brother Bakidan at once came
forward to greet us and we did not suspect mischief.
I had brought with me from Manila a great bag of
540 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
newly coined pennies. They looked like gold, and we
distributed them among the warriors, who were greatly
dehghted and promptly proceeded to place them in the
ends of the huge ear plugs which the men of this tribe
are so fond of wearing. Every one seemed friendly enough
at the outset, but soon a rather disturbing incident
occurred.
There were eight chiefs present. I noticed that they
suddenly withdrew a short distance and squatted all
together in a circle as if by word of command. After a
brief but very animated discussion they rose simulta-
neously, and six of them started down the trail at a run,
while Bakidan and Saking came to us and somewhat
anxiously suggested that it was time to be moving on.
Our way lay through enormous runo grass which closed
in over our heads, so that we were marching in a rather low
tunnel through the vegetation. Bakidan went ahead
of us, Saking brought up the rear, and both were evidently
on the alert. Bakidan suggested that we keep our re-
volvers handy, which we did.
A short march brought us to Saking's place. Here a
still larger body of fighting men awaited us, and there were
no women in evidence except Saking's wife, who, at the
direction of her husband, came forward, and under his
instructions sought to shake hands with us. This was a
new ceremony to the Kahngas, and she gave us her left
hand.
Standing in a conspicuous place in front of Saking's
house were two baskets filled with flowers which were wet
with blood. We surmised, rightlj^ as it later proved,
that these baskets had contained human heads just
before our arrival, and that we had interrupted a head-
' Canao is the word commonly used by the northern Luz6n wild men
in designating a feast or ceremony. In Ahayao it is also used as an
adjective to designate a place which may not be approached, being
then equivalent to "taboo."
0 3
a:
z »^
< .2
ft.
THE EXPLORATION OF NON-CHRISTIAN TERRITORY 541
One did not need to be an expert in the moods of wild
men to see that the people of this place were feeling ugly,
and after shaking hands with Saking's wife we promptly
marched on.
It was fortunate for us that we did so. We later learned
that the conference of the eight chiefs which aroused our
suspicion had been held to discuss our fate. Six of them
were in favor of kilhng us immediatelj^, arguing that we
were the first white men to penetrate their country ;
that they might have to carry our baggage, which would
be a lot of trouble ; and that if they allowed us to pass
through others might follow us, whereas if they killed
us they would have no further trouble with strangers.
Saking was severely criticized for having told us the where-
abouts of the war trail over which we had come, and was
appointed a committee of one on extermination, with
power to act. In fact, he was directed to take liis people
and kill us, but he dechned to obey instructions, and the
other chiefs had run down the trail ahead of us in order
to gather a sufficient force to wipe our party out. Sak-
ing's people were somewhat loath to act under the orders
of any one else, and our sojourn among them was so brief
that they did not have time definitely to make up their
minds to attack us.
We now rapidly completed our journey to Bakidan's
place, where we were to spend the night. Here again a
crowd of armed fighting men awaited us. It was momen-
tarily augmented by the arrival of recruits from the
villages through which we had just passed.
Still unsuspicious of mischief, we turned our revolvers
over to one of our Ilocano companions, a man named
Lucio, who had served as Aguinaldo's mail-carrier during
the latter days of the insurrection. We then walked
into the middle of the crowd and sat down on pieces of
our own luggage.
Bakidan immediately brought me a small wicker basket
of very dirty looking bananas. I was nauseated as a
542 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
result of severe exertion in climbing Dead Man's Moun-
tain, and the bananas did not look appetizing, so I thanked
him and put the basket on my lap. Instantly I felt
strong tension rising in the crowd. We had brought along
chief Atumpa and several friendly Kalingas from the
Saltan Eiver valley. They seized their head-axes and
stepped in beliind us, facing out. Bakidan instantly with-
drew into his own house, and from a point where hardly
any one except myself could see him made emphatic
gestures, indicating that I was to eat. Little suspecting
the significance of the act, but desirous of placating his
outraged feelings if he felt that his hospitality had not
been appreciated, I hastily peeled a banana and took a
bite. To my amazement, there was an instant and ob-
vious relaxation of tension in the crowd. The Kalinga
warriors loosened their grip on their head-axes and began
to walk about and talk. My own old men also assumed
an air of indifference.
Much puzzled, I made up my mind to look into this
matter further, and later learned that when people from
one Kalinga settlement visit those of another if the latter
wish to be friendly it is customary for them to offer the
visitors salt if they have it, bananas if salt is lacking, and
water in the event that neither salt nor bananas are
available. If the visitors wish to accept the friendship
thus profTered, they promptly eat or drink, as the case
may be ; otherwise it is understood that they have come
looking for trouble.
Bakidan had ceremonially proffered the friendship of
himself and his people, and in my ignorance I had practi-
cally declared war on the whole outfit ! When I learned
these facts I asked Bakidan why they did not kill us at
once. He said they were afraid. I expressed my sur-
prise that they should be afraid of three unarmed men, and
he explained that it was very bad etiquette in the Kalinga
country for a person with a head-axe to go behind another,
and that we had amazed every one when we walked into
THE EXPLORATION OF NON-CHRISTIAN TERRITORY 543
the midst of that gathering of armed men and sat down
with our backs to half of them. They instantly concluded
that we had, concealed about our persons, some new and
strange device with which we could annihilate a crowd,
hence they were afraid !
Here, as at Saking's place, we had interrupted a head-
cahao. The head had been smuggled out of sight just
before our arrival. The canao was now renewed and
continued all night, although the head was not again put
in evidence. It is needless to say that we attended. We
witnessed one of the weirdest sights I have ever seen.
The following day was spent in distributing presents to
the Kahnga head-men, in taking photographs, and in
getting a Uttle much needed rest. As evening drew
near Bakidan suggested that it was about time we formally
made friends with each other. We were beginning to
feel rather far away from home, and wanted all the friends
we could get, so promptly acceded to his suggestion and
repaired to his house at eight o'clock, the hom- he had in-
dicated.
The ceremony proved very simple. His wife fried
some boiled rice in fat — dog fat as we afterward learned,
but fortunately we did not know this at the moment !
We all squatted on the floor, Bakidan facing us, and the
dish of fried rice was placed between us. He squeezed
a mass of it into a ball and gave it to me. I ate it, and
then rendered him a similar service. He ate in turn, and
we were friends ! The same procedure was followed with
each of my companions.
In the midst of the ceremony there came a very unex-
pected interruption. A KaUnga woman was standing
near me holding a torch. She had been silent and had
seemed timid. I chanced to stretch out my right hand
palm up. To my surprise she uttered an exclamation
which was almost a shriek, seized my wrist and began to
point excitedly to the lines in my palm. The other
Kahngas gathered about, evidently greatly interested.
544 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
Several of them showed the lines in the palms of their own
hands, and an animated conversation ensued. I asked
what it all meant, and was informed that I was going to
become a man of great influence ! I had ah'eady modestly
introduced myself as the ruler of all non-Christians, so
found this reply unsatisfactory, but could get no other.
It was fortunate indeed for us that we made friends with
Bakidan. On the following day we continued our journey
down the valley. Our baggage was carried by women,
children and a few old and more or less decrepit warriors
who obviously felt deeply insulted at being required to
render such a menial service, and were decidedly resent-
ful toward Bakidan for having ordered them to do it.
Before we started Bakidan warned us that the KaUngas
were queer people, and in consequence it would be well
for us very quietly to go around certain of their settle-
ments. Others we would visit. Their inhabitants would
be sm'e to invite us to stay and enjoy their hospitaUty.
He would second every such invitation. We were to
pay no attention to his words, but were to note whether
or not he sat down. If he did, we might accept the invi-
tation. Otherwise we must plead an urgent engagement
farther down the valley and move on.
Things came out exactly as he had foretold. In
several villages we heard noises decidedly suggestive of
head canaos, and discreetly circled these places. We
declined all invitations seconded by Bakidan when he
did not seat himself, and rested comfortably for a time
in several ^'illages where he did.
Toward noon we walked straight into an ambush laid
for us in the runo grass, discovering it only when Bakidan
began to dehver a forceful oration in which he set forth
the fact that he had a right to stroll down his own valley
with a partj^ of friends without being annoyed by having
his fellow tribesmen hide beside the trail and prepare to
throw lances.
Bakidan, who was himself a famous warrior, told these
THE EXPLORATION OF NON-CHRISTIAN TERRITORY 545
men that they might kill us if they saw fit to do so,
but must kill him first. Apparently rather ashamed of
themselves, they came out on to the trail and slunk off to
their town. Bakidan, greatly disgusted, suggested that
we follow ithem and lunch in their village just to show
that we were not afraid of them, and we did this.
After lunch I photographed a number of our late
opponents, and we then continued our journey, escorted
by a Kahnga chief named Bogauit from Took-Took.
This man had previously descended to the Cagayan
valley, where he had seen white people, and hearing of
our advent in the Kahnga country, and fearing that we
might have trouble in getting carriers for our baggage,
had come with his fighting men to help us out.
The people of his village received us in a most friendly
spirit, and after attending a bit of a canao organized in
our honour, and doing our best to entertain the crowd with
a few simple experiments in physics, and some sleight-of-
hand tricks, we retired, as we supposed, for a peaceful
night's rest.
No such good fortune awaited us. We were aroused in
the middle of the night by a fearful din only to find our
hut surrounded by a great circle of armed men. The
people who had attempted to ambush us earlier in the
day had repented of their action in letting us pass through
unharmed, had gathered a strong force of fighting men,
had surrounded our house and were now vociferously
demanding to be allowed to take our heads.
Old Bakidan was apparenth' fighting a duel with their
chief in the midst of the circle. The two men were dancing
around each other with cat-like steps, occasionally coming
to close quarters and clashing shields, then leaping apart,
swinging their head-axes and obviously watching for
an opportunity to strike home. Had either of them
gained any decided advantage of position he would
doubtless have used his head-axe, and this would have
started a fight which could have had but one ending.
546 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
Owing to a mistake made when the ammunition for
our trip was purchased, we had just twenty-two revolver
cartridges amongst us, and in the darkness they would
have been worth about as much as so many firecrackers.
The roof of the house was dry as tinder ; a blazing brand
thrown on it would promptly have forced us into the
open. We should have been met by a flight of head-axes
and lances, and this book would not have been written !
The majority of the crowd were determined to take our
heads. The Took-Took people, greatly outnumbered,
were evidently on the fence, and Bakidan was our only
advocate. He still insisted that any one who wished
to kill us must kill him first. His reputation stood him
in good stead, and no one tackled the job. The uproar
continued until nearly morning. Bdsi, a strong native
liquor, was constantly passed. Indeed, every one but
Bakidan had been drunk when we were first awakened.
Finally food was handed around, and when the excited
warriors stopped yelling in order to eat it the liquor had
a chance to work, and most of them went to sleep.
We might probably have then effected our escape for
the time being, but it was utterly impossible for us to
get out of the country without the assistance of the
Kalingas, and we decided to see the thing out right
there.
In the morning the crowd was uglier than ever. As
we crossed the little plaza they suddenly closed in on us
with the obvious intention of doing for us, and we thought
the end had come. At this critical moment a diversion
was created in our favour by the wholly unexpected arrival
of a letter brought in by a Kalinga runner. It had fol-
lowed us all the way from Abra, and contained information
about two pieces of baggage which were missing when we
started. Its arrival greatly alarmed the hostiles, who
interrogated me as to whether soldiers were coming.
They had heard of soldiers, but had never seen them. I
assured them that the arrival or non-arrival of soldiers
ill
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THE EXPLORATION OF NON-CHRISTIAN TERRITORY 547
would depend on the way they treated us, and to our
utter amazement, they presently faded away.
The Took-Took people again showed themselves
friendly when their unwelcome visitors had departed,
and made us bamboo rafts on which we descended the river.
Our voyage was a decidedly adventurous one. Our
rafts were repeatedly smashed by the swift current. As
we approached each Kalinga village we were met by a
reception committee carrying a bunch of bananas, fol-
lowed at a short interval by a crowd of fighting men fully
armed, and were thus given an opportunity to decide
whether there should be peace or war. Needless to say,
we voted for peace every time. I ate bananas vmtil it
was difficult to find room for more !
We spent the night at the rancheria of a friendly,
white-haired old chief who had been to Tuguegarao, the
capital of Cagayan, and knew a few words of Spanish.
The next day we reached the settlement of Chief Doget,
who had a wonderful house of red narra, a wood which
closely resembles mahogany. It was furnished with beds,
chairs and tables obtained from the Spaniards. Here
we were able to rest in peace.
After sleeping the clock twice around, we continued our
journey, and at dusk reached the Filipino town of Tuao,
glad enough to get back to civilization and feehng that
the kindly Providence which watches over fools, drunken
men and children had had its eye on us. Without es-
cort, and armed only with six-shooters rendered almost
useless by lack of ammunition, we had completed the
first trip ever made through the Kalinga country, and
had done it without firing a shot and without losing a man.
This trip marked for me the beginning of friendly re-
lations with the Kalingas. They have never since been
interrupted, and now, when I ride a fast American horse
rapidly over the splendid trails which cross their country
from south to north and from west to east, or meet at
Lubuagan the fighting men who were once so anxious to
548 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
take my head but now make a long journey yearly in
order to see me, I realize, as perhaps no one else does, how-
very materially conditions in Kahnga have changed.
It had been our intention, after spending a brief period
in recuperation at Tuao, to proceed to Malaueg and con-
tinue our journey through the absolutely unknown coun-
try of the Apayaos, but we found it impossible to secure
guides. The leading men of Malaueg, who came to Tuao
to meet us, assured us that there were no trails known to
them, which was untrue, and added that they would not
under any circumstances consider trying to enter the
territory of the fierce Apayao head-hunters.
We accordingly proceeded to Tuguegarao, the capital
of Cagayan, intending to descend the Cagayan River to
Aparri, go overland to Abulug or Pamplona and there
get guides and carriers.
At Tuguegarao, however, we found assembled the pres-
identes of all the Cagayan towns. Those from Abulug
and Pamplona positively assured me that there were no
trails thence into the Apayao country, and that guides
and carriers would be absolutely unobtainable. I in-
sisted that I would visit their towns and ask them to ac-
company me, whereupon they actually wrung their hands
and wept, complaining that the people of Apayao used
bows and poisoned arrows.
In disgust I told them that I would abandon the trip
for that year, but the following year would go to Laoag
in North Ilocos, cross the " Cordillera Central " and come
out through the Apayao country, taking with me Ilocano
guides and carriers, as the Ilocanos were real men.
I then proceeded up the river to Ilagan and went over-
land through Nueva Vizcaya, ultimately crossing Ifugao
from east to west and thoroughly exploring the territory
from which I had been excluded on my previous trip ;
proceeding thence to Bontoc and Cervantes over a route
new to me, and finally returning through Benguet and
Pangasinan to the railroad, where I took train for Manila.
THE EXPLORATION OP NON-CHRISTIAN TERRITORY 549
The following year I carried out my promise, taking
with me Colonel Villamor, who had rendered very valu-
able and satisfactory assistance on my previous trip. I
also had three white companions, Dr. Paul C. Freer,
superintendent of government laboratories, Major Samuel
Crawford and Lieutenant L. D. Atkins. These officers
commanded a detachment of twenty-five Ilocano con-
stabulary soldiers which I reluctantly took along,
warned by my experience of the previous year and con-
vinced by the arguments of my Ilocano carriers, who
declined to accompany me unless I took an armed
escort.
Prior to my departure from Manila I had received an
urgent telegram from the governor of North Ilocos in-
forming me that one Abaya, a wild Tingian from Apayao,
had been sentenced to a term of imprisonment in Bilibid,
the insular penitentiary, and urging me to arrange if
possible to have him detained at Laoag until my ar-
rival there, which I did.
On reaching Laoag, I was amazed to find a large delega-
tion of fully armed Apayao men waiting for me at the
river bank. They followed me to the house where my
quarters were to be, and sat down on the stairway, with
the obvious intention of seeing that I did not leave with-
out their knowledge.
On asking the meaning of tliis occurrence, I was told
that they were friends of Abaya and wished to talk with
me. When given an opportunity to do so, they told me
a singular tale, which admirably illustrates the relations
prevailing in that region between the wild men and their
Fihpino neighbours.
Abaya was one of a few men in Apayao who dared to
descend to the lowlands. He came down occasionally,
bringing tobacco and wax to barter for cloth, steel, salt
and other necessaries not obtainable in Apayao. Being
unable to speak Ilocano well, he obtained a Filipino agent
known as his "commissioner," who transacted his busi-
550 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
ness for him, withholding for himself a hberal percentage
of the proceeds.
On the occasion of his last visit to the lowlands, the
"commissioner" had told Abaya that he had a Negrito
slave who was planning to escape, and had directed him
to take his head-axe and kill the Negrito, promising him
half of a large pig in payment for this service.
Abaya, nothing loth, hastened to execute the order,
hunting up the Negrito and aiming a terrific blow at
him. Fortunately the Negrito saw it coming and jumped
so that he received it on his shoulder instead of his neck.
It inflicted a horrible wound, but he nevertheless ran
away so fast that Abaya was unable to catch him and
finish the job. He returned and regretfully reported
his lack of success to his "conmiissioner." To his amaze-
ment he was arrested, taken to Laoag and held for trial.
Both he and his friends were convinced that the reason
for this was his failure to kill the Negrito, and the friends
assured me in the most positive terms that Abaya had
done his very best and that it was through no fault of
his that the Negrito had escaped ! They demanded his
immediate release.
Meanwhile I had been informed by the governor of
the province that Abaya's people had threatened to
come and wipe out the village where his "commissioner"
lived, and also to kill all of the Negritos in that vicinity
in revenge for the arrest and imprisonment of their chief.
It struck me that the "commissioner" was the man
who ought to be in jail, but I did not care to allow the
Apayao people to think that they could make such
threats with impunity, so asked them whether it was
true that they were planning to wipe out the village in
question. They said yes. I then told them that they
must not do it. They expressed a willingness to obey any
instructions that I might give to them. I asked v/hether
their promise to let the village alone was dependent upon
Abaya's being set at liberty, and they answered no. We
THE EXPLORATION OF NON-CHRISTIAN TERRITORY 551
then took up the question of killing the Negritos. They
were greatly amazed that I should object to this, urging
that they had always fought the Negritos, and that the
latter were bad people who constantly made trouble
with their poisoned arrows ; theretofore it had been
considered commendable to kill as many as possible.
However, they said that they would let the Negritos
alone if I insisted upon it, irrespective of whether or not
Abaya was released. Having duly impressed them with
the fact that the matter of the release of Abaya must
stand on its own merits, and could not be made to depend
on their subsequent good or bad conduct, and having
interviewed the Filipino judge who sentenced Abaya
and learned that he had been puzzled to know what to do
and was heartily in favour of having him pardoned, I
telegraphed to the acting governor-general requesting
that this be done, and continued my journey, leaving
word that Abaya should follow me if set at liberty.
He was promptly pardoned. His people insisted that
he join them and take to the moimtains, but he told his
friends that since I had secured his release he would do
what I had asked. He overtook me before I had finished
my second day's march, and stayed with me until I gave
him leave to go his way !
Our climb over the cordillera was by no means a pleas-
ure trip. We were forced to use beds of streams and
Tingian warpaths in lieu of trails. At one time our way
lay over wet limestone rocks which were shppery as ice.
Here our hobnailed shoes were a positive source of
danger. The feet of our carriers were badly torn, and we
ourselves suffered from occasional falls on the sharp rocks.
We secured the help of some additional- Tmgians whom
we met joumejdng to the coast, paying them liberally
enough so that they were wilhng to abandon their pro-
posed trip and accompany us.
We sent all of our Tingian companions ahead to give
notice of our friendly intentions before reaching the first
552 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
village in Apayao, but its inhabitants nevertheless ran
away. Thoroughly exliausted, we decided to spend a
night there. In the course of the afternoon our men
were able to bring in some of their fellow tribesmen who
lived in the vicinity, and we made friends with them.
From this point a half day's march brought us to the
head-waters of the Abulug River at a point where it
was navigable for bamboo rafts. We delayed at a- little
village until we could construct rafts enough to float our
large party, and then started downstream, kno'wdng that
we should meet plenty of people, for the Tingians of
Apayao are fond of placing their villages on river banks.
Our trip was a wild and adventurous one. Fortunately
I had purchased some twenty dollars' worth of beads and
with these I made at least twenty-five hundred presents !
The friendship of the women at the first town which we
met was thus secured, and thereafter the "grapevine
telegraph ' ' worked ahead of us and we found waiting
delegations of women and girls on the river bank at al-
most every village. So long as they were about, it was
reasonably certain that the men would not make any
hostile demonstration.
The trip proved a great success in every way. Many
of the numerous settlements which we visited were at
war with each other. One had just been attacked, and
a number of its people had lost their heads, literally.
We were constantly warned that the residents of the next
town down the river were "bad people" and that "five
hundred" of them were waiting in the river bed to attack
us, but only once were we in any real danger of being
molested, and even then diplomacj^ prevailed.
We were careful to respect local customs. One town
was reported to be canao, which is equivalent to
"taboo," because of the death of the wife of the headman,
and we religiously kept away from it. .\nother was
canao because of a \arulent epidemic of smallpox, and we
were more than willing to keep away from that one !
THE EXPLORATION OF NON-CHRISTIAN TERRITORY 553
We bumped down rapids and shot over several low falls.
Again and again our rafts were torn to pieces and we were
precipitated into the rushing stream. At one time a
constabulary soldier was under water for some ten
minutes, and we thought him dead when he was first
fished out, but finally succeeded in resuscitating him.
We had been told that the trip would take eight days
and had made our plans accordingly. It took fifteen.
Food ran short. Shoes and clothing gave out. Some
of our soldiers were dressed in clouts before we reached
civilization, and crawfishes on which our men could
pounce along the edges of the river were out of luck !
I shall long remember the shout of delight which our
Filipino companions set up when we finally passed through
the last mountain gap and came out into the open country,
but as a matter of fact the most disagreeable part of our
journey lay before us. Up to that time our progress had
been rapid and exciting. Now the current of the river
grew sluggish, and we were largely dependent on it, as
our rafts were too heavy to paddle and the stream was in
many places so deep that we could not pole them.
We found ourselves in the country of very wild Negritos.
Our Tingian friends had informed us that these people
would certainly sneak up and shoot arrows into our camps
at night, but nothing of the sort occurred. On the con-
trary, through the liberal use of scarlet cotton cloth, we
were able to establish very friendly relations with the
Negritos encountered, some of whom gave us in exchange
deer meat enough for a feast, which was highly appreciated
by all concerned.
On arrival at Abuliig we were received with great sur-
prise by the people, who had heard that we had been
attacked and killed. There I developed malaria and con-
tracted bronchitis.
We made our way up the Cagayan River to Ilagan
and thence proceeded overland to the Kalinga villages in
the vicinity of Sili. At the latter place we had an amusing
554 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
experience. ICnowing that we were going to Mayoyao,
some Ifugaos from that town had joined our party for
protection. A delegation of Sili Kahngas waited on us
during the lunch hour and politely asked to be allowed
to take the heads of these Ifugaos, saying that they needed
some fresh heads, and that it would save a lot of trouble
if they could have these, so providentially brought to
them by their respective owners. I explained to them
that we really needed the Ifugaos, and they pohtely
waived their claim to them in our favour !
I had been assured that I could ride a horse to Mayoyao
in two and a half days. The trip took five days. Much
of the way horses were worse than useless. Before we
reached our destination my bronchitis had developed into
pneumonia and I was very ill. My white companions
on the Apayao trip had long since left me, but at Ilagan
I had been jomed by Seiior Claraval, who was later
elected governor of Isabela, and by an American school-
teacher. Colonel Villamor had stayed with me. Now
all my companions turned back and I continued my
journey accompanied only by Ifugaos and by a young
lieutenant of constabulary named Gallman, who had
then just come to the Ifugao country but was later des-
tined to play a most remarkable part in bringing its war-
like people imder control and starting them on the road
toward ci\'ilization.
Our route from Mayoyao to Banaue of necessity fol-
lowed the Ifugao war trails, which invariably run along
the crests of mountains so as to command a \aew in both
directions. The country through which we passed was
frightfully broken, and I could hardly stand.
Wherever it was humanly possible to do so, the Ifugaos
carried me in a blanket slung under a pole. They took
me up almost perpendicular ascents in this way, but in
some cases the ascents were quite perpendicular and the
descents the same, so that I had to try to climb, con-
stantly falUng as the result of weakness and exhaustion,
a s^
; J3
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? S
THE EXPLORATION OF NON-CHRISTIAN TERRITORY 555
in spite of the efforts of the Ifugaos to keep me on my
feet. We reached Dukligan at dusk and there we spent
the night.
In the morning I found myself unable to rise, so took
a stiff dose of whiskey. As this failed to produce the
desired result, I took a second and fuially a third. Under
the potent influence of the stimulant I managed to get
up. The willing Ifugaos carried me clear to the rice
terraces near Banaue, making a joke of the hard work
involved. There were always a dozen men on the pole,
and whenever one set of carriers grew weary there was a
scramble, closely approaching a fight, to determine who
should be allowed next to take their places.
These jolly people constantly gave a peculiar shout
which was ridiculously like an American college cheer.
Ill as I was, I almost enjoyed the trip, and conceived a
great liking for the splendidly developed men who were
seeing me through in such gallant style. Had it not been
for their kindness, I should certainly have left my bones
somewhere between Mayoyao and Banaue.
They were determined to lug me through the rice
terraces, but as it took at least four men to carry me, and
the weight of the five of us was sufficient to cause the tops
of the high terrace walls to crumble so that I had several
narrow escapes from falling down them, I climbed out
of my extemporized hammock, took one more big drink
of raw wliiskejr and on the strength of it managed to
stagger along to the river, where I was amazed to find a
horse awaiting me. Nothing ever looked better to me
than did that somewhat decrepit animal !
I was absolutely unfit to travel, but ha\dng rested at
Banaue for half a day, and realizing that it was impera-
tively necessary that I should get to a doctor at once, I
made what was then record time to Banaue, Bontoc,
Cerv^antes and Baguio, and on arrival at the latter place
proceeded to go to bed and be comfortably iU.
Tramping over the northern Luzon mountains with
556 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
my lungs partly solidified left my pumping machinery in
such shape that I have never since been able to make a
hard trip on foot, but that is no longer necessary. Splen-
did horse trails now make travel through this region a
pleasure.
When we crossed Apayao only one other white man had
achieved the feat. This was a good missionary priest
who in 1741 traversed the country between Abuliig and
one of the North Ilocos towns.
Lieutenant Gilmore's ^ Filipino captors took him and
his companions across a comer of Apayao, and instead
of murdering them in the forest, as they had been or-
dered to do, turned them loose. They made their way
across a portion of the territory traversed by us, and had
reached .the Abulug River and were attempting to build
rafts when overtaken by a rescue party of American
soldiers. All hands then descended the river to the town
of Abulug, and proceeded overland to Aparri.
Colonel Hood, who was commanding the United States
forces there, declined to let them enter the town until
they had been provided with decent clothing, thinking
that the sight of American soldiers clad in clouts might
be too much of a shock to the inhabitants !
In 1907 I was able to land at various points along the
then absolutely unknown Pacific coast of northeastern
Luzon, but failed to get into touch with the Negritos, who
constitute its sole inhabitants, until near Palanan, the
northernmost settlement of Filipinos on the east coast.
With this trip my exploration work in northern Luzon
ended, although I have ever since made extended annual
trips through the non-Christian territory of the island.
During the years covered by this hasty narrative, I
also made trips to the territory of the wild men in Min-
doro, Palawan, and Mindanao, as opportunity offered.
In Spanish days I had lived among the Moros and had
' Lieutenant Gilmore, U.S.N.. was captured at Baler in the summer
of 1899, and held a prisoner for many months.
THE EXPLORATION OF NON-CHRISTIAN TERRITORY 557
visited the mountains of Negros and Panay and seen
something of the wild men Hving there, so that I finally
gained a fairly comprehensive knowledge of the non-
Christian tribes of the Philippines, having seen represent-
atives of nearly all of them,' and lived for longer or
shorter periods among all except some of the more unim-
portant peoples in the interior of Mindanao.
As a result of these personal investigations I was able
to reduce to twenty-seven the eighty-two non-Christian
tribes said by Blmnentritt to inhabit the Philippines ;
to determine with reasonable accuracy the territory oc-
cupied by each, and not only to become familiar with
the manners and customs of the people of each important
tribe, but to establish relations of personal friendship
with many chiefs and headmen which have proved in-
valuable to me in my subsequent work for the betterment
of the non-Christian peoples which has so irritated cer-
tain Filipino politicians who have wished to continue to
oppress and exploit them, or, like Judge Blount, have
sought to minimize their importance.
The latter individual seems to regard my past efforts to
portray actual conditions among the wild men as a per-
sonal grievance, and has devoted an entire chapter to the
shortcomings of "Non-Christian Worcester." In it he
says of me that I impressed him as "an overbearing bully
of the beggar-on-horseback type" ; that I am "the P. T.
Barnum of the 'non-Christian tribe' industry"; that
"in the earh^ nineties he [Non-Christian Worcester]
had made a trip to the Philippines, confining himself
then mostly to creeping things and quadrupeds — liz-
ards, alligators, pythons, unusual wild beasts, and
other forms of animal life of the kind much coveted
as specimens by museums and universities," and goes
' The only tribes of which I have not seen representatives inhabit
the region of the gulf of Davao in Mindanao. It is doubtful whether
they are really tribally distinct from the Bagobos, Bilanes and other
tribes living near the coast.
558 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
on to tell how it was that "the reptile-finder ulti-
mately became a statesman." The Honourable Judge
summarizes his views concerning me by stating that
he "considers Professor Worcester the direst calam-
ity that has befallen the Filipinos since the American
occupation, neither war, pestilence, famine, reconcen-
tration nor tariff -wrought poverty excepted." He de-
scribes the experience on which he bases these statements
as follows: "During all my stay in the Philippines I
never did have any official relations of any sort with the
Professor, and only met him, casually, once, in 1901."
This latter statement is correct to the best of my recol-
lection. "A man is known by the company he keeps."
I feel that I have been fortunate in my friends and sin-
gularly blessed in my enemies ! If I do not in turn attack
the Philippine career of Judge Blount, it is not for lack
of abundant anunmaition, but for the reason that I believe
that the American public will be more interested in the
truth or falsity of the allegations concerning more im-
portant matters which we respectively make than in our
opinions of each other.
The Judge seems to have overlooked the fact that in-
vective is not argument. I leave to him the use of need-
lessly abusive and insulting language. He has also appar-
ently overlooked the further fact that disregard of the
truth is apt, sooner or later, to bring its own peculiar
reward. Later I call attention to certain of his misstate-
ments concerning the wild peoples of the Philippines,
and correct them.
CHAPTER XXI
The Government of the Non-Christian Tribes
When I visited Bengiiet in July and August of 1900,
I found conditions there such that the early estabUshment
of civil government seemed practicable and desirable.
The people had taken no part in the insurrection and no-
where in the province was there any resistance to American
authorit3^ An act providing for the government of the
province and its settlements was accordingly passed on
November 23, 1900, Benguet being thus the first province
to pass from the control of the militaiy.
In drafting this act I was fortunate in having the co-
operation of Mr. Otto Scheerer, a German citizen who had
lived for a number of years among the Benguet Igorots,
understood them fully and was most kindly disposed
toward them.
The Benguet law, in considerably ampUfied form, was
applied to Nueva Vizcaya when that province was or-
ganized on January' 28, 1902, and on April 7, 1902, a care-
fully considered act entitled "An Act providing for the
Establishment of Local Civil Governments in the Town-
ships and Settlements of Nueva Vizcaya" was passed
by the commission.
On May 28, 1902, the province of Lepanto-Bontoc was
established. It had thi-ee sub-provinces, Amburayan,
Lepanto and Bontoc. The two Nueva Vizcaya acts above
mentioned were made applicable to it, and to its towns,
respectively.
On June 23, 1902, an act was passed organizing the
province of Palawan (Paragua) and extending to it, and
to its towns, the more essential provisions of the two Nueva
Vizcaya acts.
559
560 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
On the same day iMindoro was incorporated viith the
province of ]Marinduque under the regular Pro^•incial
Government Act, which was then being made applicable
to all provmces populated chiefly by Filipinos. As
might have been anticipated, it did not prove feasible
properly to administer the affairs of ^Nlindoro under this
act, and on November 10, 1902, a province of Alindoro,
including the main island and numerous neighbouring
small islands, was established under a law embodjing
the essential provisions of the Nueva Vizcaya Act. Cer-
tain provisions of the Nueva "\'izcaya to■w^lship and settle-
ment act were made applicable to its municipalities,
while on December 4, 1902, other provisions of the same
act were made applicable to the settlements of the wild
Mangyans, who occupy the whole interior of this great
island so far as it is occupied at all.
The desirabihty of imiform legislation for the govern-
ment of the non-Christian tribes, except those of the
Moro Province, soon became evident, and after much
experience in the practical working of the several acts
above mentioned under the conditions presented in the
five provinces, Benguet, Nueva Vizcaya, Lepanto-Bontoc,
Palawan and Mindoro, I drafted the so-called "Special
Provincial Government Act," and "The Township Gov-
ernment Act." The former was made applicable to the
five provinces above mentioned, and the latter to all
settlements of non-Christian tribes tlii-oughout the Philip-
pines except those of the Moro Province.
On August 20, 1907, an act was passed carving the prov-
ince of Agusan out of territor^^ wliich had previously be-
longed to Surigao and Misamis, and organizmg it under
the Special Provincial Government Act.
Finally, on August 18, 1908, the Mountain Province
was established in northern Luzon.
At the same time that the Ifugao territory was separated
from Nueva Vizcaj-a there was added to the latter prov-
ince the Ilongot territory previously divided between
Isabela, Tayabas, Nueva Ecija and Pangasindn.
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBES 561
Before considering the details of the work accomplished
in the several special government provinces and sub-
provinces, I will state the general principles which have
been found useful in bringing the non-Christian peoples
under control and in establishing friendly relations with
them, and will explain how these principles have been
applied in actual practice.
I have always considered the opening up of adequate
lines of communication an indispensable prerequisite to
the control and development of any country, and this is
especially true of the territory of the wild man. No
matter how unruly he may be, he is apt to become
good when one can call on him at 2. .30 a.m., since that is
the hour when devils, anitos and asudng are abroad, and
he therefore wants to stay peaceably in his own house !
Again and again we have built a trail to an ugly, fighting,
head-hunting settlement whose people have at first thrown
spears at our road labourers, but later, when they found
that the trail was really going to arrive, have ended by
building one out to meet it. Constabulary garrisons
which we have expected to be forced to establish have
often proved unnecessary when communication was
opened up.
We have had scanty funds for public works in these
regions. At the outset I had to get along with four or
five thousand dollars a year in the territory now included
in the Mountain Province and the task which confronted
me seemed utterly hopeless. Nevertheless, I made a
beginning and did the best I could. Now the Mountain
Province has annual receipts of about $85,000, of which
some $65,000 ai-e expended for public works and perma-
nent improvements. This is made possible by the fact
that the salaries and wages of the provincial officers, and
certain contingent expenses as well, are met by direct
appropriation of insular funds.
Another principle to which I have steadfastly adhered
is never to impose taxes on a wild man until he can be
562 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
made to realize that direct good to him will result from
their collection. One of several reasons why the Span-
iards never could dominate the hill people of Luzon was
that they insisted at the very outset upon exacting "trib-
ute" from them. The hill people regarded the money
thus contributed as a present to the man who collected
it, and rebelled against making presents to people who did
not treat them well and whom they did not like.
The most important tax in the special government
provinces is the so-called "public improvement tax."
The law imposing it does not become operative on the
non-Christians of any given territory without the prior
approval of the secretaiy of the interior.
It provides for the collection from every able-bodied
adult male between the ages of 18 and 55 of an annual
contribution of two pesos.' The taxpayer is allowed to
render ten days of service upon public works in lieu of
cash payment if he prefers, and most non-Christians do
prefer to settle the obligation in this way. All money
derived from this source is expended on public works,
going to pay for supervision, dynamite, powder, caps, fuse,
steel, road tools and the hke, as it is seldom necessary to
hire labourers.
We paid for all labour on the fii'st trails constructed,
and it was only when the people themselves learned to
comprehend the usefulness to them of improved means
of communication that I made the pubhc improvement
tax applicable to them.
Except under very special circumstances, I did not allow
the construction of a trail with a grade higher than six
per cent. There are two reasons for this rule. First, the
torrential rain-storms of the tropics rapidly destroy high-
grade trails in spite of all efforts to provide adequate
drainage ; second, if trails are constructed on low grades,
every shovelful of earth which is thrown is just so much
accompUshed toward the eventual opening up of cart
1 Equivalent to one dollar.
J3
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBES 563
roads, carriage roads or automobile roads, the whole sub-
sequent question involved being one of widening and
surfacing.
In constructing a trail we first carefully stake what
seems the best possible line between the two points to be
connected ; then build on this line a path which is cut
into the hill ' four feet, the dirt being thrown outward.
No special effort is made to give the bank a proper slope ;
the Almighty does this in the course of the first rainy
season, when the earth sloughs off on to the trail in those
places where it stands too steeply. It is then promptly
thrown off the road-bed while still loose, and much hard
pick and shovel work and many "pop shots" are thus
saved. Only the most necessary drainage is provided
before the first rainy season, for the reason that experi-
ence has shown that what seem dry beds of streams and
look as if they would be converted into raging torrents
during the rainy season sometimes then hardly carry
water enough to wash one's face in ; while, on the other
hand, destructive torrents come charging down the crests
of hogbacks in places where one would least expect
them, and cut out the trail completely where they strike
it. With the first rain the maintenance gangs get to work,
noting where drainage is especially needed and providing
it, throwing off loose earth and stones when sUdes occur,
and widening the trail or cutting off sharp comers when
not otherwise engaged.
American and Fihpino road foremen were at first used
for trail construction, but the Igorots, Ifugaos and Ka-
lingas, all of whom are very intelligent people, soon learned
to serve as foremen. I had Ifugaos who ran about clad
in clouts onlj^, but were nevertheless quite capable of
carrv^mg a road or trail across the face of a precipice,
doing all of the powder work.
The wild men soon learn to take gi'eat pride in their
trails, and usually keep them in an excellent state of re-
' Nearly all our trails are on steep mountain sides.
564 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
pair. It is a remarkable fact that on the thousand miles
of road and trail which have been constructed since the
American occupation in the Mountain Province and
Nueva Vizcaya no one has as yet been murdered. In
the wildest regions there has been an understanding from
the outset that people travelling over government roads
were to be let alone !
The establishment of government, and of a decent state
of pubhc order, have gone hand in hand with the opening
up of hues of communication. Wherever practicable it is
highly desirable to police the wild man's country with
wild men, and this has proved far easier than was antici-
pated. The Bontoc Igorots make good, and the Ifugaos
most excellent, constabulary soldiers. They are faith-
ful, efficient, absolutely loyal and imphcitly obedient.
The Ifugaos are born riflemen, and then- carbine practice
is little short of marvellous when one considers their very
limited experience. Natural fighters as they are, the people
of these two tribes make the best of soldiers. They are
absolutely fearless, and fight much as do the Ghurkas of
India. Benguet Igorots and Kalingas are now being en-
listed as constabulary soldiers, and from the very outset
the people of many of the non-Christian tribes of the
islands have been used as policemen in their own territory.
The annual inspection trip which the secretary of the
interior is required by law to make to every province
organized under the special provincial government act
has become very important in the control and advance-
ment of the non-Christian tribes.
It is now customary to hold fiestas, or as they are
locally designated, canaos, at central points, to which are
invited great numbers of the wild people from the neigh-
bouring country. At the outset these gatherings served
to bring together men who had hardly seen each other ex-
cept over the tops of their shields when lances were flying.
They were all friendly with me, but they were by no means
friendly with each other, and trouble threatened on vari-
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBES 565
ous occasions. Within the space of thirty seconds I have
seen a couple of thousand men draw their war knives
and snatch up their lances, and have feared that a record
killing was about to occur, but in the end the excited
warriors always quieted down.
We took advantage of these great gatherings to bring
about the settlement of old difficulties between hostile
towns and they have thus proved an important factor in
the establishment of peace and order throughout the
wild man's territory. Furthermore, they afford excellent
opportunity to discuss past events and future plans under
the most favourable conditions. I well remember the oc-
casion on which the Ifugao headman of Quiangan re-
quested that the public improvement tax be imposed upon
them and their fellow tribesmen. There was at that time
but one decent trail in this sub-province. It had been
built by paid labour. Some of the headmen who had
gone to Bontoc with me had seen excellent trails there
and had asked why Ifugao could not have some just as
good. I had replied that the Bontoc Igorots were more
civilized then the Ifugaos and had come so to appreciate
the benefit of trails that they were willing to build them
without being paid for their labour. Vehement exception
was taken to my contention that the Bontoc Igorots were
further advanced than the Ifugaos. The latter insisted
that they were much better men than the Igorots, and
could and would build better trails. I explained to them
in detail the practical working of the public improvement
tax, and asked if they would be willing to have this contri-
bution imposed on them. They insisted that they wanted
it, and I finally gave it to them, although I doubted their
ability to bring their people into line. On the following day
there was a precisely similar occurrence at Banaue. I soon
found that I had underrated the influence of the headmen.
That year twenty thousand Ifugaos worked out their road
tax. The following year twenty-four thousand men ren-
dered the prescribed ten days' service ; and the number
566 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
has steadily increased year by year ever since, with the
result that the sub-province is crisscrossed with trails,
many of which are already wide enough for considerable
distances to permit the passage of automobiles if they
could be brought there, while the main line of communi-
cation with Bontoc on the one hand and the capital of
Nueva Vizcaya on the other is open for cart travel from
the western to the eastern boundary of the sub-province.
At many of the canaos we have athletic contests, which
the wild men, with their splendid physical development,
greatly enjoy. It is much better for two hostile towns to
settle their differences by a tug-of-war, or a wrestling
match, than by fighting over them, and they are now often
quite wilhng to adopt these more pacific means provided
the audience is sufficiently large and enthusiastic, for the
average wild man has a very human love of playing to
the gallery. He takes to the athletic contests of the
American like a duck to the water, and soon learns to
excel in them. No sooner is a cafiao over than those who
have taken part in it begin to look forward to the next
one, and the small expense involved is repaid a thousand
fold in the good feeling produced.
In the course of a year the people of each of the non-
Christian tribes do many things for us simply because we
want them to, and it seems only fair that we should give
them at least one opportunity during the same period
to have a good time in their own way.
The personal equation is of vital importance in dealing
with wild men. They know nothing of laws or pohcies,
but they understand individuals uncommonly well.
The men in immediate control of them must be abso-
lutely fearless, must make good every promise or threat,
must never punish except in case of deliberate wrong-
doing committed in spite of warning duly given, and
must, when punishment is thus made necessary, inflict
it sternly but not in anger. The wild man thus dealt
with is likely to call quits when he has had enough, and if
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBES 567
he promises to behave must be treated like a man of his
word, which he usually is.
As a result of such just, firm and kindly treatment
governors and lieutenant-governors soon find themselves
endowed by their people mth powers far in excess of those
conferred on them by law. They are ex officio justices
of the peace, but are just as apt to be asked to settle a
head-hunting feud between towns, which has caused a
dozen bloody murders, as a quarrel growing out of the
joint ownership of a pig. They are the law and the
prophets, and no appeals are taken from any just decisions
which they may make, nor is their authority questioned.
On the contrar}^, their people usually object when sent
to the courts, as is of course often necessary.
These officers are always on the watch for opportunities
to get the people of hostile towns to swap head-axes, or
dance together, and so become friends.
When one town has been in the very act of raiding another
the timely appearance of an unarmed Apo ' has sufficed
to shame the culprits into laying down their arms and
going home without them.
No one who has not seen for himself can appreciate the
courage, tact and patience of the handful of Americans
who have not only brought under control the wildest
tribes of the Phifippines, but have estabhshed the most
friendly relations with them.
Having now outlined in a general way the pi-inciples
which have been followed in the work for the non-Chris-
tian tribes of the special government provinces, I will
set forth some of the more important results which have
been obtained.
In Benguet, which under the Spanish regime was or-
ganized as a comandancia,^ there dwell a kindly, in-
' An untranslatable term of respect and affection given by the
fighting men of northern Luzon to rulers whom they like.
- A designation applied to a political division of less importance
than a province, governed by a military officer.
568 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
dustrious, self-respecting, silent tribe of agriculturists
known as the Benguet Igorots. Governmental control was
established over them by the Spaniards. They have
never indulged in head-hunting nor caused any serious
disturbance of public order, but have persistently refused
to give up their ancient rehgious behefs, and for this
reason were not allowed by the Spaniards to obtain ed-
ucation, so that, with rare individual exceptions, they
were completely illiterate. When I first visited their
country I found the men clad in clouts, supplemented
in the case of the more wealthy by cotton blankets. The
women usually wore both skirts and upper garments,
and bound towels around their heads for turbans.
The Benguet Igorots were formerly compelled to trade
for the necessaries of life in the lowlands of the neighbour-
ing province of Union, where they were shamelessly ex-
ploited by the Fihpinos. They had been obhged by the
Spaniards to pay taxes for which they received no ade-
quate return. They had furthermore been roughly
treated by the Insurgents during the war, and were ex-
tremely fearful and timid. Men ran away at my ap-
proach. Women overtaken unexpectedly on the trail
leaped down the steep mountain sides, squatting where
they first struck the ground and covering their faces
with their hands.
It proved a simple matter to establish friendly and help-
ful relations with these simple and gentle people. For-
tunately for them Mr. Otto Scheerer, who had lived among
them for years, helped organize their settlements. Some
of them were still so wild that they ran away at his
approach, sitting up on the high mountain sides and
watching him from a distance, but declining to come down.
Patience, perseverance and kindness soon overcame their
fears, and local governments were established in the sev-
eral settlements.
Travel through Benguet was then dangerous and
difficult because of the condition of the trails, which were
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBES 569
mere footpaths. None of the streams were bridged.
Work was promptly begun upon a trail system, and now
one can ride a large horse rapidly to every settlement of
importance.
At first the people had nothing to sell, and no money
with which to buy what they needed. From time to time
they packed coffee and Irish potatoes down to the low-
lands and traded them for salt, cloth and steel, which they
needed, and for vmo, which was poison to them.
We have protected them in their property rights and
encouraged them to increase their agricultural holdings.
As they were too ignorant to understand and exercise
their right to obtain free patent to small tracts of land
which they had long occupied and cultivated, I sent out
a special survej' party to help them make out their appli-
cations in due form.
The gradual development of Baguio, first as a health
resort and later as the summer capital, afforded them an
ever increasing market for their products ; while trail
construction, the opening of the Benguet Road and the
erection of buildings at Baguio made it possible for every
one desiring it to secure remunerative employment. In
the old Spanish days they had been forced to build trails
without compensation, and to feed themselves while
doing it. Wlien they realized that the new regime had
come to stay, their gratitude knew no bounds.
For a time they could not be persuaded to tr>^ the white
man's medicines, but ultimately the wife of the most
important chief in the province, who was dying of dysen-
tery, was persuaded to let Dr. J. B. Thomas, a verj' com-
petent American government physician, treat her case.
She recovered, and the news spread far and wide. After
that Igorots came in constantly increasing numbers to
the hospital which had meanwhile been established, and
to-day their sick and injured are often carried to it from a
distance of fifty miles or more.
Schools were soon established in several important
570 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
settlements. The boys proved apt pupils. At the outset
parents would not allow their girls to attend. Gradu-
ally the prejudice against sending them to school was
overcome, and at three different places girls are now given
instruction in English and in practical industrial work.
The children learn English readily and the old folks
pick it up from them. Mrs. Ahce M. Kelly, who started
the first Igorot school, taught her boys respectfully to
salute her in the morning, and shortly thereafter Ameri-
can travellers over the Benguet trails were addressed by
Igorots with the cheerful greeting, "Good morning, Mrs.
Kelly." Their feelings were doubtless identical with
those of the traveller in Japan to whom a beginning student
of book English said, "Good morning. Sir, or Madam, as
the case may be !"
The Benguet Igorots have responded quickly to the
opportunities afforded them, and several serious dangers
which have threatened their progress have been met and
overcome.
The Filipino peoples will never become victims of al-
coholism. They drink in moderation, but seldom be-
come intoxicated. The non-Christian peoples, on the
contrary, never lose an opportunity to get boiling drunk.
All of them make fermented alcoholic drinks of their
own. Fortunately most of these beverages are compara-
tively mild and harmless ; but if a hill man can get hold
of bad vino or worse whiskey he will get so drunk that he
thinks he has to hang on to the grass in order to lie on the
ground.
The Filipinos had long taken advantage of this weak-
ness of the Benguet-Lepanto Igorots to debauch them
with vino and cheat them while they were intoxicated.
I regret to say that since the American occupation some
white men who wanted them as labourers have used liquor
as a bait. Because of these conditions, and of more or
less similar ones throughout the rest of the wild man's
territory, I drafted and secured the passage of an act mak-
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBES 571
ing it a criminal offence to sell or give white man's liquor
to a wild man, or for such a man to drink such liquor or
have it in his possession. This law has been very success-
fully enforced. Although Benguet-Lepanto Igorots have
sometimes succeeded in purchasing hquor at Baguio or
Cervantes, their use of strong alcohohc stimulants has
steadily decreased, and throughout much of the wild man's
territory strong drink is absolutely unobtainable.
The Benguet Igorots have an abiding love for gambling,
and some of them learned new tricks, which did them no
good, through contact with Fihpinos when working on
the Benguet Road. Strict enforcement of the law against
gambling has, however, prevented any considerable spread
of this evil.
One of the most interesting results thus far obtained
is the arousing of a strong commercial instinct among
them. It was literally true at the outset that one could
not buy from them an egg, a chicken or a basket of ca-
niotes, much less a pig or a cow. Now special market
buildings have been erected for them at Baguio, and they
are thronged on Sundays. The Igorots have money and
spend it wisely. They also have farm products to sell,
know what they are worth, and insist on getting full value
for them. Among other things there may be mentioned
sleek cattle, the best fat hogs grown in the Philippines,
chickens, eggs, cabbages, Irish potatoes, peas, beans,
tomatoes, squashes, camotes and strawberries.
There have been some interesting episodes in connec-
tion with the work for the Benguet Igorots. At one time
it became necessary for the provhicial governor, Wm. F.
Pack, to undergo a severe and dangerous surgical opera-
tion. Word spread through Benguet that the doctors
were going to cut him to pieces. Palasi, iin old Igorot chief
of Atok, gathered his cohorts and came in hot haste to
Baguio to stop it. He was assured by Governor Pack
himself that the cutting was to be done with his consent,
but still entertained some doubts about the matter and
572 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
asked to be allowed to be present. His request was
granted. There was then no operating room in Baguio,
so one was extemporized in the governor's house. He
walked out to the operating table, and Palasi, who was
standing by, once more asked hun if he was to be cut up
with his own consent, offering to stop the performance
even then if the governor so wished !
On March 30, 1913, 1 sat at a luncheon given at Trinidad,
Benguet, in honour of former Lieutenant-Governor E. A.
Eckman, who had just been promoted to the governor-
ship of the Mountain Province. At the long tables were
seated a representative gathering of decently clad Ben-
guet Igorot head-men, the hosts of the occasion. They
understood the use of knives, forks and spoons. At the
close of the luncheon they presented Governor Eckman
with a beautiful silver cup. The presentation speech was
made by an Igorot named Juan Carino, who had been
shot and badly wounded by American soldiers from whom
he foolishly endeavoured to escape in 1900 !
Fortunately old Juan was not killed. Like every other
Igorot in Benguet he is to-day a good friend of the Amer-
icans. The people of his tribe are now sober, industrious,
cheerful, contented and prosperous. As time passes they
keep cleaner, wear more and better clothes and build better
houses. In this case, at least, a primitive people has come
in close contact with the white man and has profited
by it.
Lepanto, like Benguet, was a comandancia in the
Spanish days. Its Igorot inhabitants are fellow-tribes-
men of their Benguet neighbours, and like them are, and
have long been, peaceful agriculturists, raising camotes,
rice, coffee and cattle. They also mine gold and copper.
In the extreme southeastern and the extreme northern
parts of Lepanto the people are wilder and less law-
abiding than those of Benguet, and some of them are prone
to indulge in cattle stealing.
This subprovince has one Ilocano town, Cervantes,
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBES 573
which was made the capital of the province of Lepanto-
Bontoc. At the outset communication with the coast
was maintained over a very bad horse-trail crossing the
coast range at Tilad Pass. It zigzagged up one slope of
the mountains and down the other on a grade such as to
make travel over it very difficult. Furthermore, after
reaching the lowlands on the west side of the range, it
crossed a river some fourteen times. During the rainy
season there were weeks at a time during which this stream
could not be forded. In the early days of the American oc-
cupation a good wagon road was built fiom the coast to
the point where the trail began, and the trail itself was
put in the best possible condition. It was subsequently
well maintained, but after the estabUshment of a Filipino
provincial government in South Ilocos the wagon road
was allowed to fall into such a state of neglect that travel
over it, even for persons on horseback, became impossible
during wet weather. Mr. Kane, the supervisor of the
Mountain Province, was nearly drowned in mud when
trying to ride over it, being thrown from his horse into
soft ooze so deep that his hands did not reach bottom, and
had it not been for a timely rescue by FiHpinos who
chanced to be passing, he would certainly have lost his life.
Although forty or fifty thousand pesos' worth of supplies
were annually sent into the mountain country by the
people of South Ilocos over this trail, that province re-
fused to spend a peso in keeping the connecting road up.
The constantly growing trade of the mountain country
made it, in my opinion, necessary that it should have
a good outlet to the coast, and a route for a road was
surveyed from Cervantes directly west over the Malaya
range, traversing the subprovince of Amburayan from
east to west and coming out at the municipahty of Tagu-
din. In order to prevent the occurrence of a state of
affairs such as had rendered the Tilad Pass trail practically
useless during much of the rainy season, this Ilocano
town was annexed to Lepanto-Bontoc, thus giving the
574 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
province a route to the coast within the limits of its own
territory.
The people of Tagudin were at first incUned to protest
against annexation to the country of the non-Christians,
but soon discovered that the change was greatly to their
advantage. Their town had long been threatened with
destruction by the encroachment of the Amburayan
River, and they had appealed in vain to South Ilocos
for help. The Mountain Province gave them assistance
in the construction of a protecting wall which held the
river within bounds and adequately safeguarded the
town. Their business rapidly increased when Tagudin
became the western terminus of an important trade route.
They soon began to take an active interest in improving
local conditions, and their municipality was gradually
changed from a dirty, down-at-the-heel place to a neat,
clean, sanitary town in which its people could take
justifiable pride. An old feud which had long separated
the leading men into two parties so bitterly hostile to each
other that the mere fact of advocacy of a given measure
by one of them was sufficient to cause deterinined op-
position to it by the other, died out, and Tagudin is
to-day quite a model place in comparison with the gen-
eral run of Filipino towns.
The opening up of transportation lines has placed the
people of Lepanto within much easier reach of a market
for their rice, coffee and cattle. The successful combating
of cattle disease by the Bureau of Agricultm'e has been
a great boon to them, as has the suppression of the hquor
traffic. Schools have been estabhshed in a number of
their settlements. Last, but by no means least, their
lives are no longer endangered by the head-hunting
Bontoc Igorots. They are now a peaceful, prosperous
people, and are progressing steadily in civilization.
In Spanish days there was a comandancia known as
Amburayan wedged in between the provinces of La Union
and Ilocos Sur. After the American occupation this
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBES 575
territory was at first organized as a part of Ilocos Sur,
but it soon became necessary to make of it a separate
subprovince and add it to Lepanto-Bontoc, to the end
that its people might be adequately protected. In con-
tact on two sides with Christian FiUpinos, they were
shamefully maltreated and oppressed, and they appealed
to me for help.
Filipinos were graciously permitting them to cut fire-
wood and lumber in the public forests, and taking the
lion's share of the products in return for their consent !
They were debauching the Igorots with vino. I remember
particularly the case of one unfortunate individual who
owned five carabaos, two of which got to fighting. As
usually happens with these animals, the one that was
whipped ran away, and the victor blindly pursued it.
Both charged over a precipice and broke their legs. The
owner killed them, dressed them, and divided the meat
among his family and friends. He was arrested, given
a mock trial for killing carabaos without a Ucense, and
fined three carabaos — all he had left — which of course
went to his persecutors !
Instances of this sort of tiling could be indefinitely
multiplied.
Amburayan was freed from the vino traflSc soon after
it became a subpro^dnce of Lepanto-Bontoc. This alone
was a great boon to its Igorot inhabitants, v.'ho Httle by
Uttle were helped to assert their rights as they gained
greater confidence in their American lieutenant-governor
and learned to go to him freely with their troubles. They
had so long been helpless and hopeless that it was some
time before they could be convinced that a new day had
dawned for them.
And now let us betake ourselves to the country' of the
real wild man, and consider briefly past and present con-
ditions in the subprovince of Ifugao.
The people of the tribe known as Ifugaos are a remark-
able lot. Their country is almost entirely made up of
576 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
exceptionally steep mountain sides with hardly a naturally
level piece of ground in it. On almost precipitous slopes
they have built wonderful series of irrigated rice terraces
held in position by stone retaining walls which have been
laid without mortar or cementing material of any kind,
and are so skilfully constructed that they withstand even
the terrific rains which sometimes occur during typhoons.
Accurate rainfall statistics for Ifugao are not obtainable,
but, as we have seen, in the neighbouring subprovince of
Benguet, there is of record a period of twenty-four hours
during which forty-nine and nine tenths inches of rain fell !
Under such conditions as this, exceptionally good work
is necessary to prevent structures of any sort built on
mountain sides from sUding into the valleys below.
Up to the time of the American occupation the Ifugaos
had always been inveterate head-hunters. Unlike the
Bontoc Igorots, who depend on large numbers of fighting
men for protection, they live in small villages usually
placed in inaccessible spots which can be reached only by
ascending the almost perpendicular rice-terrace walls.
Not only were the people of this tribe then constantly
fighting among themselves, but they from time to time
raided the Bontoc country or that of the Kalingas, and
they persistently victimized the people of Nueva Vizcaya,
making travel so unsafe on the main road between Nueva
Vizcaya and Isabela that the Spaniards found it necessary
to maintain several garrisons along it, and forbade private
persons to pass over it without a iniHtary escort. Even
so, parties of travellers were cut down from time to time,
the savages making their attacks at the noon hour when
Spanish soldiers had a way of going to sleep beside the
road.
I have already narrated my earliest experiences in
this subprovince, which occurred in 1903, and have called
attention to the fact that when I returned in 1905 I was
able to traverse it from east to west without the slightest
danger. This condition of affairs was due to the efforts
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBES 577
of Governor Louis G. Knight, supplemented by those of
Captain L. E. Case of the Philippine constabulary, who
had established his headquarters at Banaue and had
exercised a strong influence over his unrul}' constituents.
Perhaps I ought to change my statement and say that
order was established by Captain Case, assisted by
Governor Knight. Captain Case was very fortunate in
his deaUngs with the Ifugaos. He was a kindly man,
who won their friendship at the outset. He resorted to
stern measures only when such measures were so imper-
atively necessary that the Ifugaos themselves fully rec-
ognized the justice of employing them.
On my trip through the Ifugao countrj^ in 1906 I was
accompanied from Mayoyao to Banaue by Lieutenant
Jeff D. Gallman, who had come to the former place to
meet me. This young man had been especially selected
by Colonel Rivers, of the Phihppine constabulary, to be
trained for work among the Ifugaos. Never was a selec-
tion more fortunate. When Captain Case injured him-
self by over-exertion in cUmbing a steep, terraced moun-
tain side in the hot sun, and had to return to the United
States for recuperation, Gallman took up his work and
devoted himself most effectively to the task of bringing
the Ifugaos under control, protecting them, and improving
their conditions. He was a dead shot with revolver and
carbine ; was absolutely fearless ; was of a kindly, cheer-
ful disposition, and soon not only won their respect but
gained their love.
As the years went by, the Ifugaos came to regard him as
but little less than a god. He had extraordinary success
in training them for service as constabulary soldiers.
On the occasion of the first general rifle competition
between all the constabulary organizations in northern
Luzon ten Ifugao soldiers were sent to the lowlands to
participate. Gallman, who had trained them, was travel-
ling with me at the time, so they were taken down by a
comparatively inexperienced ofRcer who, instead of se-
578 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
lecting the best ten men from among the ninety possible
candidates, took ten from the twenty who happened to
be stationed at Mayoyao.
The hot climate of the lowlands troubled them. The
Filipino constabulary soldiers made fun of them because
they wore no trousers, and bedevilled them in various
waj^s. The best shot among them lost his nerve in con-
sequence. Nevertheless, when the competition was over
they ranked Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10, respectively,
an Ilocano soldier from the lowlands being tied with the
last man for tenth place !
Ifugao soldiers are submissive to discipline, obey orders
implicitly, and are loyal and brave to a fault. When
on duty they attend strictly to business. No prisoner
ever yet escaped from one of them. This is more than
can be said of the Bontoc Igorots. It is of record that
on one occasion when a prisoner guarded by a raw recruit
of the latter tribe made a break for hberty, the recruit
followed him, firing as he ran. After missing the fleeing
man five times, he threw his carbine at him, lance-fashion,
and speared him with the bayonet ! So long as an Ifugao
has a cartridge in his magazine he does not indulge in
bayonet practice.
The same general policy was pursued in Ifugao which
had been found so effective elsewhere. Lines of com-
munication were opened up ; after a short time criminals
were for the most part apprehended and turned in by the
head-men themselves ; whenever possible, hostile towns
were left to sulk until they had learned from the ex-
perience of their neighbours that there was nothing to
be afraid of or to complain about, and vohmtarily came
into the fold ; head-hunting was suppressed with a heavy
hand, but only after due warning as to what the fate of
transgressors would be. It is now some six years since
a head has been taken in this region. Travel not only
in Nueva Vizcaya but in Ifugao itself is at present ab-
solutely safe, and general conditions as to law and order
a"
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THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBES 579
are better than those which prevail in many American
communities. The people have been assisted in the con-
struction of irrigation ditches, and little by httle are being
persuaded to come down from their steep and over-
populated mountain sides to the neighbouring fertile,
level vacant plains. They are loj^al and friendly to a
marked degree, and I experience no greater pleasure than
that which I derive from travelling through their country.
Credit for this happy result is chiefly due to the efforts
of Jeff D. Gallman, who speedily rose to be a captain in
the constabulary and at an early date was made lieu-
tenant-governor of Ifugao. He has done a monumental
work for civilization in the Philippines.
The Kalinga country was at the outset administered
as a part of Bontoc. This made that subprovince so
large that one lieutenant-governor could not hope satis-
factorily to cover it, especially as there were no good lines
of conmumication. .Although a constabulary garrison
was early stationed at the town of Lubuagan, compara-
tively httle progress was made in bringing the Kalingas
under effective control until their territory was made
a separate subprovince of the Mountain province and
Lieutenant-Governor Walter F. Hale, of Amburayan,
was transferred to it as its lieutenant-governor.
Lieutenant-Governor Hale has now been in the special
government service longer than any other man who
remains in it, and has an admirable record for quiet
efficiency. Like Gallman, he is a man with chilled-steel
nerve, and he needed it in the early days in KaUnga where
the people, who had been allowed to run wild too long, did
not take as kindly to the estabhshment of governmental
control as had the Bontoc Igorots and the Ifugaos. The
Kahngas are a fine lot of head-hunting savages, physically
magnificently developed, mentally acute, but naturally
very wild. Hale soon made friends with many of the
local chiefs, and thereafter when he received invitations
from outlying rancherias to come over and have his head
580 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
taken would quietly accept to the extent of setting out
accompanied by a few soldiers, or none at all, and
talking the matter over with the people who had made
the threat ! In the end they always decided that he was
too good a man to kill.
Here, as in Ifugao, we felt our way, avoiding trouble
with hostile settlements as long as it was possible to do so.
And here, as in Bontoc and Ifugao, head-hunting was
abolished and law and order were estabhshed practically
without IdUing. In a few instances settlements which
absolutely refused to come into the fold, and persisted
in raiding and killing in the territory of people who had
already become friendly, were given severe lessons,
which they invariably took in good part.
One of the pleasant things about dealing with people
like the Kalingas and the Ifugaos is their manliness when
they fight. They let one know, so plainly that there can
be no mistake about it, whether they are friendly or
hostile, and even if thoroughly whipped they bear no ill
will provided they know that they deserve a whipping,
but come calmly walking into camp to tell you that they
have had enough and are going to be good. And they
keep their promises.
In Kalinga, as elsewhere throughout the Mountain
Province outside of Apayao, an admirable trail system
has now been opened up and travel is not only safe but
comfortable. The people are most friendly and loyal,
and while head-hunting has not completely disappeared,
cases of it are extremely rare and occur only in the most
remote parts of the subprovince.
Apayao has proved a hard nut to crack. As previously
stated, I made a trip across this subprovince from west
to east in 1906, without encountering any hostility what-
soever. Unfortunately, the officer who commanded my
escort saw fit to go blundering back there with a con-
stabulary command a few weeks later. He managed to
get into a fight and was wliipped and chased out of the
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBES 581
countrj'. A so-called punitive expedition was then sent
in, which came near meeting a similar fate, but finally
withdrew in fairly good order after ha^^ng inflicted sUght
damage on the town of Guenned, the people of which
made the original attack.
Apayao was at first organized as a subprovince of
Cagayan, and Colonel Bias Villamor, who had accompanied
me on my two longest exploration trips through northern
Luzon, was appointed its lieutenant-governor. The
attitude of the pro\'incial officials of Cagayan toward
the difficult task which confronted them in Apayao was
most unsatisfactory. Indeed, the governor of that prov-
ince informed me that in his opinion the best way to
settle the Apayao problem was to kill all of the inhabitants.
As Colonel Villamor reported that there were some
fifty-three thousand of them ' tliis procedure would have
presented practical, as well as moral, chfficulties ! I myself
was of the opinion that the Apayao people, who proved
to be wild Tingians, were altogether too good to kill.
Colonel \'illamor was a native of Abra, where ap-
proximately half the population is made up of Tingians
who have attained to a high degree of civihzation. He was
already quite famihar with the dialect spoken by these
people, and speedily learned the language of their wild
brethren in Apayao, many of whom understood Ilocano,
which was his native tongue.
At the outset he made excellent progress in bringing
his people under control. The task was undoubtedly
more difficult than that in any other subprovince of the
Mountain Province, both because the Spaniards had
failed to penetrate into this region, lea^ang the people
untouched bj^ civilization up to the time of the American
occupation, and for the further reason that their head-
hunting is connected with religious behefs. Thej^ think
that when a man dies his prospect for a good time in the
1 This statement proved to be untrue. They number about twenty-
five thousand.
582 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
future world is bad unless the members of his family
take a head within six months, and this idea has a ten-
dency to keep society in a somewhat disturbed condition.
For reasons which I have never been able fully to
fathom, Villamor's progress in estabhshing governmental
control grew steadily slower as time went by, and ulti-
mately came to a standstill. During my absence from
the islands it was deemed best to accept his resignation,
for reasons not immediately connected with liis admin-
istration of the affairs of his subprovince. Before sur-
rendering his post he caused word to be spread among
the Tingians that the kindly policy which had thus far
been pursued in deaUng with them was to be superseded
by one of severity, greatly alarming them, and seriously
retarding work which he had quite auspiciously begun.
There was absolutely no justification for his statements,
as no one thought for a moment of dealing with the Apayao
Tingians in a fashion differing at all from that invariably
followed in our relations with non-Cliristians in the special
government provinces.
Mr. Norman G. Connor was appointed to succeed
Senor Villamor. Mr. Connor had been acting governor
of Nueva Vizcaya and had rendered very satisfactory
service. He has made material progress in estabhshing
control over the people of Apayao, where the work of
trail construction has now begun. At the outset com-
munication was maintained by boats on the Abulug River
and its branches, near which most of the wild Tingian
villages are situated, but it is a dangerous stream to
navigate, especially when in flood, and hues of land com-
munication must therefore be opened up.
We found the subprovince of Bontoc peopled by a tribe
of wild, warhke, head-hunting Igorots over whom the
Spaniards had never been able to establish effective con-
trol. At the time of the American occupation their
numerous settlements were constantly at war with each
other, and with the Kahngas and the Ifugaos as well.
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBES 583
The Bontoc Igorots build large towns and depend on
the numbers of their hardy fighting men for protection.
Each town formerly kept a profit and loss account of heads
with every town of its enemies. Physically these people
are splendid men, and we soon found that they were
usually both brave and fair in their fighting, formally
making and breaking peace, and serving due notice on
their enemies before attacking.
If a small town felt itself aggrieved by a big one, it
would send a messenger to say, "You have more fighting
men than we have, but they are no good ! Pick fifteen
of the best from your thousand and send them to a certain
place at a certain time to meet fifteen real fighting men
selected from among our five hundred. ' ' At the appointed
time the tliirty warriors would meet in deadly combat,
while their fellow-townsmen looked on.
The Bontoc Igorots are naturally truthful and honest,
and they soon became most friendly, gladly bringing
many of their troubles to their lieutenant-governor for
settlement. Fortunately, head-accounts between dif-
ferent towns can be adjusted bj^ proper payments made
by those who hold the highest scores. We took advantage
of this fact to estabhsh peace between the towns, and when
once established it was, as a rule, religiously kept.
Trail construction was promptly inaugurated and has
been steadily pushed. Most of the towns have thus been
made readily accessible.
When friendly relations had been established, and we
were in a position to back orders with force if necessary,
settlement after settlement was warned that head-
hunting must cease and was further informed as to what
would happen if the mandate was disobeyed. Certain
dare-devils promptly broke over, partly, I fancy, to see
what would happen, and partly, no doubt, because they
found the influence of tribal customs too strong to resist.
We made our warnings come true. One settlement re-
quired three bitter lessons. For others a single mild one
584 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
sufficed. The majority of the towns were content to get
their experience vicariouslj^ We were amazed at our
own success in stopping this horrible practice. At the
outset we burned towns if their people engaged in head-
hunting.' The Igorots recognized the justice of this
action because the whole town was invariably cognizant
of, and party to, every head-hunting raid made by any
of its people. Later, when head-hunting became com-
paratively rare, we began to deal with the individuals con-
cerned. They were arrested, brought before the coiu-ts,
and tried like any other criminals. To-day head-hunting
in Bontoc is almost unknown. When it does occiu* the
people themselves usually captvue and turn over the culprits.
The respect of the Bontoc Igorots for the law is ex-
traordinary. In 1910 a Constabulary soldier shot the
presidente of Tinglayan without just cause. The people
of the place rushed to arms, meaning to kill the soldier.
Chief Agpad, assisted by the son of the murdered man,
took station before the door of the house in which the
assailant had sought refuge, and the two stood off then- fel-
low-townsmen, sajdng that the government had pronaised
to kill evil-doers and that this man must be tm'iied over
to the government to be killed ! WTien I passed through
their town a few weeks later, with Governor-General
Forbes, they begged to have him killed promptly.
In the early days I myself had a rather stormy clash
with some of the Bontoc Igorots. Dm'ing Aguinaldo's
long flight he had passed tlu'ough half a dozen of their
towns, as had the American soldiers who pursued him.
The Igorots did not like this, so tore out the trail to
Ifugao, between Bontoc and Samoqui, and built high-
walled rice paddies where it had been, with the result
that persons making the journey had to use the river bed
for several miles. This was all very well if the river was
low, but was no joke if it chanced to be in flood.
' Not so serious a matter as it may seem, when houses are made
of grass and can be speedily rebuilt.
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBES 585
I ordered that the trail be rebuilt, the Igorots to be
paid for their work, and for the resulting damage to
their rice fields, and this was done.
The lieutenant-governor was a weak man, and the
Igorots, after getting their money, tore the trail out again
and rebuilt their stone terrace walls across the place
where it had been, just to see what he would do about it.
He did nothing. I found things in this condition when I
arrived, and was obliged to come down the river bed at
dusk, with the result that inj^ horse and I took several
impromptu baths.
The Samoqui warriors came dancing out to meet me,
playing their gansas ' and making a grand hullabaloo.
Summoning my sternest expression, I refused to shake
hands with them, telling them to go home and to report
at Bontoc at nine the following morning.
The fighting men of the town of Bontoc met me on the
other side of the river, and I served them the same way.
The official under w^hose nose they had destroyed the
trail was greatly alarmed, and assured me that if I
ordered it rebuilt, as I told him I would do, there would
be a fight, and the Igorots would cut the heads off all the
Americans in town, including the ladies. He added,
"Think how the ladies would look without any heads !"
While this was a disquieting reflection, I remained ob-
durate.
At the appointed hour the Samoqui and Bontoc men
appeared, armed with head-axes and lances. I asked them
if they would rebuild that traO, and they said no ! I told
them that if they did not I would cut their main irri-
gating ditch and put a constabularj'' guard on it to see
that it was not repaired until they changed their minds.
This might have meant the loss of their rice crop. They
knew me quite as well as they did their lieutenant-gov-
ernor, and promptly rebuilt the trail for nothing, as I
told them they must.
1 Bronze timbrels.
586 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
'V^^en the Mountain Province was established, the
town of Bontoc was made the capital, as Cervantes, which
had been the capital of Lepanto Bontoc, was hot, had
proved unhealthful, and was not centrally situated.
Bontoc has a cool, delightful climate, is near the geo-
graphic center of the province, and from it radiates a road
and trail system of constantly increasing importance.
Things have moved rapidly there since the status of the
place was changed.
To-day the town has modern pubhc buildings of brick
and stone. The brick have been made, burned and laid
by Igorots. Much of the stone has been cut and laid by
Igorots. The mortar used has been mixed by Igorots
with lime burned by Igorots. Some of the carpenter
work has been done by Igorots. There is a modern
hospital to which the Igorots flock. There are schools
in which Igorot boj^s and girls learn the Enghsh language,
and become adept in the practice of useful industries.
Perhaps the most unique of the Bontoc institutions is
the provmcial jail. Years ago I discovered to my horror
that a two-year sentence to Bihbid, the insular peniten-
tiary, was a death sentence for a hill-man ! Not all who
were sent there died, but the average term of life of men
from the hiUs was two years only, while those who served
out their sentences and returned to their mountain homes
had invariably become adepts in crime as the result of pro-
longed contact wdth vicious Filipinos. I promptly drafted
an act providing for the establishment at Bontoc of a
penitentiary where all prisoners from the highlands should
be confined, and the commission passed it. The prison
has been made a real educational institution. Most of
its inmates have been guilty of crimes of violence, com-
mitted in accordance with tribal customs, and are not
vicious at heart. The jail building is perfectly sanitary.
Its occupants are required to keep their persons clean and
their quarters both clean and in perfect order. They live
amid healthful surroundings and receive abundant and
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THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBES 587
nourishing food. They are taught useful trades and are
compelled to work hard, which they do not in the least
mind, as industry is the rule in the mountain country.
They usually leave the jail better men than when they
entered it, and thereafter, instead of being a menace to
law and order, assist in their enforcement and main-
tenance.
We do odd things with some of these prisoners. Last
year we paroled a man from Ifugao who had a score of
heads to his credit. Learning that his people believed
him to be dead and w^ere greatly troubled, we told him to
go home, show himself to them, tell them how he was
treated in jail, and come back. He did it !
Proof of the kindliness of the relations which have
existed with the Bontoc Igorots is foimd in the fact that
no member of this tribe has ever yet turned his hand
against an American. On the contrary, there are not a
few Americans who owe their Hves to Igorots. Agpad, of
Tinglayan, has t^s-ice dived into rivers swollen by t>-phoons
and rescued Americans who had sunk for the last time
beneath the rushing, muddy waters, while their fellow-
countrymen stood by paralyzed with fear.
Last year there occurred an event of profomid signifi-
cance. In the past, American officials have often worked
hard for days to get representatives of two hostile towns
to dance together, for this would make friends of them.
On the occasion in question there had gathered at Bontoc
to meet me representatives from every settlement in the
subprovince. Each town had brought its gansas and its
dancers. On the second day of my visit the people of
one of the towns started a dance on the plaza. They
were promptly joined by representatives from another
towTi which had long been hostile to them. People from
yet other to-mis followed suit, until finally the plaza
swarmed with a great crowd of dancers in which every
settlement in the subpro%dnce was represented. Even
at that late day I should not have dared to attempt to
588 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
bring about such a tiling. It happened of itself, and to
the initiated told an eloquent tale of the results of our
years of patient work !
The fii'st time I chmbed PoUs Mountain, on my way
from the Bontoc country to the land of the Ifugaos, four
Igorots went ahead of me, armed with head-axes and lances,
carrying their shields in position. At each turn in the
steep, worn-out trail, they drew back their lances ready
to throw. I had eighty-six armed men with me, and
knew that I might need them. To-day I travel through the
length and breadth of the Mountain Province imescorted
and unarmed. Furthermore, I usually take my wife with
me.
Prior to 1 903, if an Ifugao showed himself on the north
side of the Polls range he lost his head. Now people of
this tribe stroll into the towTi of Bontoc almost daily.
They travel north through the Bontoc Igorot country to
Lubuagan, in KaUnga, and west to Cervantes, in Lepanto,
or even to Tagudin on the coast, crossing three subprov-
inces on the latter trip. They also go south to Baguio.
All freight was formerly packed in from the coast on
men's backs a distance of eighty odd miles over steep,
narrow, stony trails wliich were really foot-paths. Now
it comes in carts over a good road which has a maximum
grade of six per cent.
The people of the settlement had to get their water
from the river. Now it is piped into town.
There was not a shop in the place, and every one had
to go to the coast to make the smallest purchases. There
are at present half a dozen good stores, beside the pro-
vincial exchange, a store where the government sells
the Igorots what they want at reasonable prices, thus
preventing shopkeepers from overcharging them.
Commodious quarters for visiting Igorots and Ifugaos
have been provided, and there is a fine market where they
may display and sell their products. This market is a
busy place.
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBES 589
The population is rapidly increasing, now that head-
hunting has practically ceased. The area of cultivated
lands steadily grows larger, for ,the men are freed from the
necessity of being constantly imder arms, and we are help-
ing them to get more irrigation water, so that they can
extend their rice fields.
There are a thousand or so Bontoc Igorots in Benguet
to-day, contracting for railroad excavation work. Times
have changed.
When Nueva Vizcaya was first organized, its non-
Christian inhabitants greatly outnumbered its Filipino
population, as there were at least one hundred fifteen
thousand Ifugaos in addition to several thousand Ilongots
and a few Benguet Igorots, locally known as Isinayes, who
had strayed over the boundary line. With the transfer of
the Ifugao territory to the Mountain Province, the Fili-
pinos were left in the decided majority. Later all of the
Ilongot territory which had previously belonged to the
provinces of Isabela, Tayabas, Nueva Ecija and Panga-
sinan was added to Nueva Vizcaya, in order that the
members of this wild and prinritive tribe might be brought
under one provincial administration.
The Ilongots are a strictly forest-inhabiting people.
Many of them have a considerable admixture of Negrito
blood and live a semi-nomadic hfe. Their settlements,
which are small and more or less transient, are usually
situated in remote and inaccessible places surrounded
by the densest jungle. It is at present impracticable to
open up horse trails through their country, for the num-
ber of inhabitants is so small, in comparison with the
area occupied, that such trails could not be built with
Ilongot labour, nor indeed could they be maintained even
if built. One main trail is, however, being constructed,
and it is planned to build foot trails from this to the more
important of the settlements which it does not reach.
A special assistant to the Provincial Governor of Nueva
Vizcaya for work among the Ilongots has been appointed
590 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
and assigned to duty at Baler, on the Pacific coast of
Luzon, from which place he can more conveniently reach
the Ilongots east of the coast range. These people were
very wild at the outset, and it proved difficult to establish
friendly relations with them, but this has now been suc-
cessfully accomplished, and their fear of the white man is
largely a thing of the past.
There is a school for Ilongot children at Campote.
They prove to be bright, capable pupils.
At the same place there has been established a gov-
ernment exchange, where the Ilongots can sell such
articles of their own manufacture as they wish to
market, and can purchase what they need at moderate
cost.
They still fight more or less with each other, but
depredations by them upon Filipinos have ceased.
CHAPTER XXII
The Government of the Non-Christian Tribes
{Continued)
The province of Mindoro includes numerous small
islands, all peopled by Tagalogs, and the main island of
Mindoro, which has a narrow broken fringe of Tagalog
settlements along its coast. Its whole interior is popu-
lated, so far as it is inhabited at all, by the Mangyans,
a primitive semi-nomadic tribe which is of Malayan
origin but has considerable Negrito blood. No one
knows even approximately how many of them there
are, for although the island has been crossed in several
different places, much of it is still quite unexplored. In
most of the interior regions thus far visited the popu-
lation is very sparse, but one quite thickly settled dis-
trict has been found. It is beheved that the Mangyans
number something like 15,000.
The Filipino settlements were so disorderly, filthy, and
unhealthy that the energies of the first governor. Captain
R. G. OfHey, and those of his successor. Captain Louis
G. Van Schaick, were to a large extent expended in
efforts for the betterment of the Tagalogs. It is a
pleasure to record the fact that these efforts met with
a very large degree of success.
The condition of most of the Tagdiog towns is now
good. Mangarin is the chief exception to this state-
ment. Its surroundings are such as to make it im-
possible successfully to combat malaria, from which
every one of its inhabitants suffers. We are still en-
deavouring to persuade its unfortunate people to move
to a healthy site !
591
592 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
Governor Offley did some work for the Mangyans.
They have advanced but sUghtly beyond the Negritos
in civilization. Many of them live under shelters not
worthy of the name of huts, and in the vicinity of Mt.
Halcon even the women are clad only in clouts. Houses
are placed singly in the dense forests, or at the most are
gathered in very small groups. It proved a most diffi-
cult undertaking to persuade any considerable number of
Mangyans to gather together and construct decent
dwellings. It had been their custom to abandon their
forest homes whenever a death occurred, leaving behind
all their belongings, and perhaps even changing their
names on the theory that their old names were unlucky
and new ones inight prove advantageous.
With admirable patience Governor Offley organized a
little village called Lalauigan on the south coast of Min-
doro. Lalauigan has prospered. It is very clean ; the
houses of its Mangyan residents are quite presentable.
The neighbouring fields are planted with corn and rice.
It has a school, and the children prove to be apt pupils.
Another Mangyan village, organized near the west
coast, was short-lived. The Tagalog Filipinos look with
great disfavour on the gathering of the Mangyans into
settlements where they can be protected, as this renders
it difficult to hold them in a state of peonage. Wlienever
Governor Offley got a little group together, they did their
best to scatter it. In this instance they passed the word
that smallpox had broken out in a neighbouring Tagdlog
village. All Mangyans are deathly afraid of this disease,
and this particular set built a great fire, jumped through
the flames to purify themselves from contagion, took to
the hills, and have not been seen since !
Wliile in hearty sympathy with the admirable work
which was being done among the Tagalogs, I was dissatis-
fied with the failure to push explorations in the interior
more actively and to get more closely in touch with the
wild inhabitants. When the Tagalog settlements had
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBES 593
at last been put in really good condition, I gave Governor
Van Schaick, who had succeeded Governor Offley, posi-
tive instructions that more attention must be paid to the
Mangyans. He then began active explorations, and
pushed them with considerable success up to the time
when he was compelled to tender his resignation by the
terms of the Army Appropriation Bill for 1913, which
necessitated his return to his regiment. Prior to his
departure he succeeded in establishing a new Mangyan
village which has continued to prosper up to the present
time. His successor, Governor R. E. Walters, was kept
from actively pushing exploration work during the past
"dry" season, by unprecedented rains.
Road and trail construction began several years ago
and is going forward as rapidly as Umited funds will
permit.
The great trouble with the Tagalogs of Mindoro is
that nature has been too kind to them. They have only
to plough a bit of ground at the beginning of the rainy
season, scatter a little rice on it, and harvest the crop
when ripe, to be able to live idly the rest of the year, and
too many of them adopt this course. However, some
good towns, like Pinamalayan, are waking up as the re-
sult of iimnigration from Marinduque.
Two great services have been rendered to the more
orderly of the inhabitants of Mindoro, which was, in
Spanish days, a rendezvous for evil-doers from Luzon.
Indeed, it was the most disorderly province north of
Mindanao. An excellent state of public order has been es-
tablished, and there has not been an anned ladrone ^ in the
province for years. It was famous for its "bad climate."
We have shown that its climate is good, making its towns
really healthful by merely cleaning them up.
The establishment of a great modern sugar estate on
the southwest coast has doubled the daily wage, and given
' The words ladrones and tulisanes are used indiscriminately in the
Philippines to designate armed robbers and brigands.
594 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
profitable employment to all who wanted to work, and
the people are beginning to bestir themselves. The public
schools, of which every town has one, are materially
assisting the awakening now in progress.
Palawan, like Mindoro, is made up of one large island,
which bears the name of the province, and a number of
smaller ones. Indeed, it includes more small islands than
does any other provmce, with the possible exception of
Moro.
The bulk of its Christian population are found on the
smaller islands, several of which are very thickly
settled.
The non-Christian inhabitants are divided between
three tribes, — the Moros, Tagbanuas and Bataks. The
latter are Negritos of very pure blood. Their number
is quite limited. They extend across the island from
the east coast to the west in the region north of Bahia
Honda.
Until within a short time there have been Moro settle-
ments scattered along both east and west coasts of the
southern third of the main island. The Moro popula-
tion of Palawan is largely composed of renegades who
have been driven out of Jolo, Tawi Tawi, Cagayan de
Jolo, British North Borneo and Banguey by their own
people because of infractions of the laws of their tribe.
When the province was organized, they were not cultivating
a hectare of land amongst them. They lived in part by
fishing, but chiefly on what they stole, or on the products
of the labour of the hill people in the interior, many of
whom they enslaved or held in a state of peonage, taking
their rice and other agricultural products with or without
giving compensation, as seemed to them good.
The hill people, who occupy the higher mountains in
the interior of southern Palawan, and who in the central
and northern portions of the island extend down to the
very coast, are known as Paluanes in the south and as
Tagbanuas elsewhere. Tagbanuas are also found on
s
o
o
6
- 03
fe
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBES 595
Dumaran and Linapacan, and quite generally throughout
the Calamianes Islands, especially on Culion and Busu-
anga. I have failed to discover any real tribal differ-
ences between the Paluanes and the Tagbanuas and be-
lieve that they should be classed as one people, although
the Paluanes are more incUned to stand up for their rights
than are the Tagbanuas, and by using blow guns and
poisoned arrows have succeeded in keeping the Moros
out of the interior highlands. They were, however, long
forced to trade with the Moros in order to obtain cloth,
steel, salt and other things not produced in their own
country, and so were at their mercy.
The Tagbanuas are a rather timid and docile people,
giving evidence of a considerable amount of Negrito
blood. They are at times quite industrious, and raise
considerable quantities of rice and camotes, but live, in
part, on fish, game and forest products.
Communication in this province was very difficult. The
main island of Palawan, which is some two hundred fifty
miles in length and very narrow, extends in a northeast-
erly and southwesterly direction, and as a result both of
its coasts are swept by each monsoon so that there are
only about two months of the year when travel by sea in
small boats is comfortable and safe. At the outset there
was not a mile of trail on the island. This latter condi-
tion is being rapidly remedied.
The first governor appointed for the newly established
province of Palawan was Lieutenant E. Y. Miller, U. S. A.,
a man of splendid physique, tireless energy, and indomi-
table courage.
Governor Miller set to work very actively to better
the condition of the Fihpinos and to establish friendly
and helpful relations with the non-Christians.
The bulk of the Christians are unusually poor and
ignorant and many of them were held in a miserable
state of peonage by a few caciques. Vigorous efforts
extending through a long term of years have weakened
596 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
the grip of the caciques, but have by no means
broken it.
At an early date the new governor won the admiration
of the Moros, who like courage, by a series of very brave
acts. A number of constabulary soldiers who were
coasting along the west shore of Palawan in a sail-boat
went ashore, leaving their rifles on board guarded by
two or three of their comrades. They also left several
Moros on the boat, and the latter, watching their oppor-
tunity, killed the guards and got away with the rifles,
taking them to Dato Tumay, their chief, who armed his
people with them.
Governor Miller, with Captain Louden, of the con-
stabulary company concerned, promptly attacked Tu-
may's place and drove him mto the hills. Tumay took
refuge in a Tagbanua village, never dreaming that he
would be pursued into the momitain fastnesses. Miller
and his companions succeeded in getting mto the place
before Tumay knew they were in the vicinity, and there
followed a fight to the death at close quarters. Two
soldiers, standing one to the right and one to the left of
Governor INIiller, were shot dead, but he was not
scratched.
On a number of other occasions he displayed a bravery
approaching recklessness. Hearing that a fleet of some
fifty Moro boats had put to sea on a piratical expedition,
he embarked in a twenty-foot launch accompanied only
by a captain of constabulary, and the two of them ran
down and disarmed the pirates and sent them home.
They nearly sank their tiny launch with the dead weight
of the weapons which they took on board. The tiling
seems preposterous, and only Miller's extraordinary
moral influence over these unruly people made it humanly
possible.
When I visited Palawan on my regular inspection trip
in the year 1909, I found Mrs. Miller much worried about
her husband, who was absent from the capital, having
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBES 597
gone to arrest some Moro murderers at Lara. As usual,
he had taken with hmi only a constabulary captain and
three or four soldiers, and Mrs. Miller feared that he
might be killed.
I hastened down the coast of the island at the full speed
of my steamer, keeping a close watch for his boat, and
finally located it at Bonabona, where he had succeeded
in arresting several of the criminals. On his way down
he had stopped at Lara and had learned that a brother of
the local chief, Dato Pula, was responsible for the murder,
having ordered it and paid the assassins who committed
it, one of whom was lurking in the vicinity, while others
had gone to Bonabona. Governor Miller called upon
Dato Pula to deliver both his brother and the murderer,
who was then at Lara, and stated that he would be back
on a certain day to receive them. As he insisted on
returning at the appointed time and attempting to arrest
these men, I took him on my steamer, together with his
American companion and one constabulary soldier.
The other soldiers remained on his boat to guard the
prisoners he had already taken.
We returned to Lara, but were unable to land in front
of the town as a heavy siu'f was thundering on the beach.
A mile to the north we found a sheltered spot where we
could safely disembark and our httle party, consisting of
Governor Miller armed with a six-shooter, a constabu-
lary captain armed with a Winchester shotgun and a six-
shooter, a constabulary soldier armed with a carbine,
ex-Insurgent Colonel Pablo Tecson armed with my double-
barrelled shotgun. Governor Pack of the Mountain Prov-
ince, my brother George S. Worcester, and my stenog-
rapher, all of whom were without weapons, and myself
carrying an automatic Winchester rifle, marched on the
town. Governor Miller sent the soldier ahead to warn
the Moros that they must meet us unarmed. A small
reception committee did so.
On the very outskirts of Lara we waded a creek nearly
598 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
up to our necks in water, then marched up the street and
entered Pula's house. Just as we did so I saw twenty or
thirty fully armed Moros come in on the run and hastily
conceal themselves in one of the numerous neighbouring
houses. I further promptly discovered that two rooms
partitioned off in the corners of the great living room of
Pula's house were crowded full of men armed to the teeth,
and that a second-story room, immediately under the
roof and over our heads, was similarly occupied. I
asked Governor Pack quietly to ascertain how many of
the houses in the village were occupied by fully equipped
fighting men, and he soon informed me that every one of
them was packed. We estimated that there were several
hundred warriors in town, which meant that Pula had
raked the coast of the island north and south for miles
and brought in every male Moro big enough to wield a
weapon.
We seated ourselves on a table, back to back and facing
out, with our own weapons very handy, and had a talk
with Pula which lasted until late in the afternoon. Stand-
ing within striking distance of us most of the day, were
two stalwart Moros, each of whom had a kriss dagger
firmly gripped in his right hand and concealed between
his folded arms. When one remembers that the average
Moro fighter does not seem to know when he is dead, but
keeps on doing damage after he ought to be busily oc-
cupied in passing to the other world, it will be seen that
our situation left much to be desired.
Under the pretext of sending for a phonograph with
which to entertain the crowd while our negotiations con-
tinued, I communicated with the captain of our steamer,
advising him of the facts. He got out anununition for his
two one-pounder rapid-fire guns and took up a position
immediately in front of the town. We did not ask him
for reenforcements, believing that any attempt on his part
to send them would precipitate an attack on us.
Never did I pass a more pecuhar, or a more unpleasant,
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBES 599
day. Miller steadfastly insisted that Pula's brother and
the hired assassin be given up. Pula produced two
thoroughly cowed Tagbanuas whom he had induced by
threats to declare that they had committed the murders,
and most emphatically dechned to turn over either his
brother or the true murderer. Our discussions were
punctuated by tunes played on the phonograph which
created great excitement among the Moros, some of whom
got up and danced to the music !
Finally, late in the afternoon, Pula gave in, turned the
murderer over to us, and promised to turnover his brother,
but said that the latter must first be allowed to go home
to get some clothes, and that he would then send hun
on board our ship.
We improved this our first opportunity to beat a re-
treat wdthout losing face. Our Moro "friends" bid us
good-b}^ on the beach, then armed themselves and fol-
lowed us at a short distance as we marched back to the
landing place where our launch was pounding in the surf,
awaiting our return. Three strong fighting parties came
out of the dense vegetation which bordered the beach im-
mediately after we had passed the places where they were
concealed. They had obviously been waiting there to cut
off our retreat if trouble started, and could most certainly
have done it. In fact, they could have shot us down from
the brush without showing themselves.
It requu-ed all the self-control which I could muster
to keep my back toward the strong and constantly grow-
ing group of armed men who followed us, and to look
unconcerned, yet I knew, as did every other member of
the party, that our seeing the hght of another day prob-
ably depended on our abihty to do both things. The
slightest e\ddence of alarm would have precipitated a
fight which could have had but one outcome for us.
When opposite the launch, we turned and faced the
Moros and then the several members of the party went
aboard, one at a time. Never did a widening strip of
600 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
water look better to me than did that which finally began
to separate us from the shore.
To our great amazement Dato Pula kept his word and
sent his brother on board !
No man ever laboured more diligently for the good of
alien peoples than did Governor Miller. He evolved a
wise plan for improving the condition of the Tagbanuas
living in the vicinity of Puerto Princesa, many of whom,
as is so often the case with the uncivilized peoples of the
Philippines, were reduced to a state of peonage by their
Filipino neighbours. A large reservation was set aside
for their exclusive use, and they were persuaded to retire
to it. At the cost of infinite labour and pains Governor
Miller built there a fine set of school buildings, and the
Bureau of Education started a school which gives in-
struction in English, arithmetic and manual training to
Tagbanua boys and girls.
Governor Miller's keen interest in this project led him
to stop to inspect the progress of the work when return-
ing from a long trip around the island. In the face of a
coming storm he ascended the Aborlan River to the school
site, where he remained until after dark, oblivious of the
fact that a tremendous downpour of rain in the neighbour-
ing mountains had produced a sudden flood in the river.
Returning to his launch, he jumped on board and cast
off before the engine was started. The current swept
the launch away like a straw, carried it in close to the
bank, and an overhanging branch, which ordinarily would
have been high above the water, struck the governor a
stunning blow on the head, knocking him overboard.
He never came to the surface, and twenty-four hours
elapsed before his body was recovered.
Mr. John H. Evans, then serving as heutenant-gov-
ernor of Bontoc, in the Mountain Province, was appointed
in his place, and I took him around the Palawan group of
islands to introduce him to his unruly subjects. On
arrival at Puerto Princesa we were told that the occupants
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBES 601
of a fleet of Moro boats were already raiding and killing
along the southern coast of the island, and we accordingly
took on board Captain Moynihan of the Philippine
Scouts, with thirty of his soldiers. The report proved
unfounded, but nevertheless the soldiers came in very
handily.
I landed at Culasian Bay on the west coast, meaning to
ascend a river to the settlement of Dato Tumay, the man
whose people had on a former occasion fought Governor
Miller with captured constabulary rifles and been soundly
whipped. Finding no one on the beach, we walked up
the river bank for a short distance to a group of half a
dozen tightly closed houses which looked as if they might
belong to fishermen. Here we were met by a splendidly
dressed glad-hand delegation, who greeted us rather too
effusively. My suspicion was further aroused by the
fact that only three of them carried weapons, in sight at
least. The weapons of a Moro chief are just as much a
part of his full dress as are the garments he wears. I had
a few moments' friendly conversation with these people,
during which I noticed that several of them displayed a
marked inclination to get behind me. This I did not
hke, so took up a position with my back to the river.
Presently I suggested that we had come to call on Dato
Tumay. The following conversation ensued : —
"You cannot go to see him."
"Why not ? Are the trails in bad condition ?"
"There are no trails."
"Are you not Dato Tumay's people?"
"Yes."
"How did you come down if there are no trails?"
"We came down the river."
"Very well, we vn\\ go up the river. "-
"You cannot do that."
"Why not?"
"There are no boats to carry you."
"How did you come down?"
602 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
"In those boats. [Pointing out two tiny dugouts
barely able to carry two men each.] You and one of
your friends can go up in them if you like. Two of our
men will paddle you."
This proposition did not seem attractive to me, so I
suggested that I would take a little walk up the river.
I had been positively assured that there was no other
boat in the vicinity, but at the very first turn discovered
a suspicious looking trail running up into the bushes and
following it found a fully rigged war-canoe over which
freshly cut brush had been hastily throAvn. I suggested
to the Moros that this looked very much like a boat.
They replied that it leaked. I asked them to put it into
the water, stating that I Uked to see boats leak. Not
a Moro stirred. We had brought twenty-five soldiers
ashore with us, as Tumay's reputation was by no means of
the best, and I now called to some of them to come and
put the boat into the river. In passing back of the group
of Moros, one of these men stubbed his toe on the shaft
of a lance which was hidden in the grass, and fell on his
nose. He raised the lance as he recovered his feet, then
stooped and picked up a second one, trailed them behind
him until he reached a position in front of me and dropped
them on the ground. Both had the sheaths removed
from their long steel heads. Another soldier kicked
around in the grass a bit and produced a serpent kriss
which had been drawn from its scabbard. Still another
fished up a bar dug}
I asked the ranking Moro present what was the meaning
of these weapons, concealed at our very feet. He said
that they were afraid that we would steal them and had
therefore hidden them. I asked him whether any white
man had ever stolen anything from them, and also why
they had hidden them there, where we were likely to cut
our feet on them, instead of in the forest which was not
fifty yards away. Obviously there was no satisfactory
1 A fighting knife of deadly effectiveness.
'■«.»,
THE GO\^RNMENT OF THE NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBES 603
answer to these questions and he had no time to attempt
any, for one of the soldiers stooped down and pulled out
of the grass from beside his very hand a forty-five caliber
single-action revolver, cocked and with all six cylinders
loaded. Fearmg to be taken at a disadvantage, I said
to the soldiers, "Make these men sit down, and search
the place for arms."
The soldiers repeatedly ordered the Moros to sit down
and the order was translated to them in their own language
by my mterpreter. Not a man obej^ed. On the con-
trary, one of them turned his back and started off at a
quick pace, disregarding repeated orders to halt. Theo-
retically he should have been shot.
Practically, I had ordered the soldiers not to fire under
any circumstances unless some Moro drew a weapon.
Mr. Olney Bondm-ant, assistant to the provincial gov-
ernor for work among the Moros, had been taking a hasty
look back of the houses and was returning to tell me that
they were full of armed men. The IMoro above men-
tioned, just before meeting Bondurant, reached into a
bush and drew out two of the cruel fighting knives known
as barongs. They were in their flat sheaths, and lay one
on top of the other. Snatching the upper one from its
scabbard, he struck a wicked blow at Bondurant as the
latter passed him on the trail. Bondurant, who was
quick as a cat, dodged the blow, then whirled and shot
his assailant. Instantly armed men with drawn weapons
began to boil out of the houses on the side farthest from
us, and those soldiers who were in a position to see them
promptly opened fire. Other Moros also began to pop
up at the edge of the forest, and we had a bit of a scrim-
mage, lively enough while it lasted. I took no part in
it, but with three soldiers helping me compelled eleven
men of the group with whom we had been talking to sit
down, and kept them sitting until the unpleasantness was
over, as I wanted to talk with them. I then told the head
man to stand up.
604 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
He was very reluctant to do this, obviously expecting
to be shot, but no such fate was in store for him. On the
contrary, I gave hmi a lecture, told him where certain
wounded and certain dead Moros were to be found, and
instructed him and his people first to care for the wounded ;
second, to bury the dead ; third, to go to Tumay's place
and tell him that although I had come to make a friendly
call on him, my party had been attacked bj^ his people,
but that the only men who had been hurt were those who
had endeavoured to use their weapons on us. I further-
more directed him to tell Tumay that he must come across
the island to the place where Mr. Bondurant lived, and
explain this extraordinary occurrence. We then took
our departure, marching down the beach a mile to our
launch, and expecting every moment to be fired on from
the dense forest close at hand.
We learned from a wounded Moro that our party had
been mistaken at a distance for that of Governor Miller.
On his last trip around the island he had been threatened
by Tumay, who surrounded him with a strong body of
armed men and talked to him in a very insulting manner.
Miller, who had but a single companion, knew himself
to be at Tumay's mercy, and believing that he was in
grave danger of being killed and that only a bluff could
save him, slapped Tumay's face vigorously and then gave
him a strong piece of his mind. Tumay, overawed at
such temerity, allowed him to depart in safety. Before
leaving. Governor Miller exercised his lawful authority
to order Tumay to take his people and move to the east
coast of the island.^ Tumay begged that his people be
^ A governor of a province may, with the approval of the Secretary
of the Interior, require members of a non-Christian tribe to take up
their residence on land reserved for such purpose if he deems such a
course to be in the interest of public order. The object of this provision
is to malie it possible to compel lawless persons to live in reasonably
accessible places. In only three instances has it been necessary to
exercise this authority. Tumay and his people were outlaws and were
li\nng in a nipa swamj) where it would have been almost impossible
to attack them successfully.
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBES 605
allowed to harvest some rice which he said they had
planted, and Governor Miller, not knowing whether or
not the statement was true, and not being in a position
to investigate it, allowed him two weeks to be spent in
this way.
I was about Governor Miller's size. WTien I landed
Tumay's people mistook me for him, and thought that he
was returning with soldiers to punish them for having
disobeyed him, or to enforce his order that they move to
a more accessible place. Hence the plan for the attack,
which was rather clever. While the reception committee
entertained us, the men concealed in the woods were to
open on us. As we turned to deal with them the ones
hidden in the houses were to attack us from the rear, and
the reception ■ committee were then to join in. Wlien
they found themselves mistaken as to the make-up of the
party, which was larger than they had expected, there
was delay and confusion, and the attack fizzled.
A few days later Tumay actually started across the
island in obedience to my instructions, but on the way
he met two recalcitrant Moro chiefs who encouraged him
to stand out, sajdng that they and their people would
help him fight the Americans, and he turned back. I
accordingly asked that a hundred scouts be sent after him,
and this was done, fifty of them marching over the moun-
tains to cut off his retreat and fifty coming on a coast-guard
boat which was intended to serve as a base of operations
and afford a place to which injured men might be brought
for treatment. Strict instructions had been given that
there was to be no firing, except in self-defence, when
women or children were liable to be hit. These orders
were strictly adhered to, and Tumay was twice allowed to
escape when he could have been shot down if it had not
been for the danger of killing Moro women and children.
Ultimately, after the non-combatants had surrendered,
his armed band was overtaken early in the morning, and
fired from ambush into the approaching scouts. The
606 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
return fire killed or wounded most of them, but Tumay
got away. It was stated by some of his followers that
he was badly wounded, but this proved to be untrue.
A little later he voluntarily surrendered, as he had been
deserted by his people and was reduced to dire straits.
The misconduct of Tumay and his men gave me a
reason for moving the IMoros from the west coast of Pala-
wan, where they were living in mangrove or nipa swamps.
It was hard to approach their settlements under any cir-
cmnstances, and very dangerous to do so if they were
disposed to be hostile. The west coast of Palawan was
a no-man's land, difficult of access on account of weather
conditions and numberless uncharted reefs. It had long
been a safe haven for evil-doers who fied from other por-
tions of the Moro country to escape the vengeance of
their fellows, and there was no possibility of compelling
them to abandon their evil practices unless they were
transferred to more accessible regions.
Governor Evans, with my approval, now issued the
necessary instructions to them, and they were all moved to
the other side of the island, together with their household
goods and chattels of every description. Once there
they were assisted in procuring building materials, and
were fed until such tune as they were able to take care of
themselves. Only the old, the infirm, and women and
cliildren who could not support themselves by working
were given food gratis. Trail construction was inaugu-
rated, and all able-bodied persons were given an oppor-
tmiity to engage in this or in other honest labor for a good
wage payable either in money or in rice.
At the end of a year I visited these Moros at their new
homes near Bonabona, going ashore without a weapon of
any sort, and finding them more friendly than could
reasonably have been anticipated. I sent for old Tumay
and had a very frank talk with him about past differ-
ences, in the course of which I asked him if he had had
enough. He assured me that he had, and I then sug-
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBES 607
gested that we forget the troubles which were behind us
and try to get on better in future. He promised to do
his part, and has faithfully kept his word.
In August, 1912, I again visited the Moros of this
region and to my great surprise was greeted as if I were a
member of their royal family. They carried me ashore
through the surf in a chair covered with a fine piece of
purple brocade. Two men equipped respectively with
a five-foot blue and a five-foot yellow umbrella, struggled
with each other to see who should protect my delicate
complexion from the sun. Wonder of wonders, the wives
of the ranking chiefs were present in a dancing paviUon
which had been erected for our benefit, this being the
first time that these women had ever shown themselves
in public. I learned that Hadji Mohanmied ^ had ex-
plained to them that the women of other nations were
getting progressive, and had argued that they ought to
follow suit. The poor things were dreadfully frightened,
and sat wdth their backs toward us, covering their faces
with gayly colored cloths if we so much as glanced toward
them, but they were there, anyhow !
At noon the Moros sat down with us to a fine luncheon of
their own providing. This is the first time in my eighteen
years of residence in the Philippines that I have known a
Moro to sit at meat with a white man, or for that matter
with any person not a Mohammedan.
After the meal several chiefs insisted on my visiting
them individually, and I found that entertainment had
been provided at each of their houses. Old Dato Tumay,
with only one woman to help him, had built the best house
in town, and was cultivating with his own hands the largest
piece of land farmed by any Moro in Palawan. He was
greatly pleased when I complunented him on the good
example he was setting. Later I referred to it in my an-
nual report, and the assistant to the governor for work
among the Moros read to him what I had said. The old
' One of the most influential of the Palawan Moro chiefs.
608 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
man was delighted. He immediately called the local
chiefs together and delivered a long lecture on the ad-
visability of settling down and tilling the soil. The prin-
cipal request that the Moros made, on the occasion of this
visit, was that they be furnished agricultural unplements
and seeds.
Tumay was very ill with dj^sentery. From the ship
I sent him medicine and a case of milk. He recovered
in due time.
Moros are uncertain people to deal with, but I beUeve
that we are now on the right road so far as concerns those
inhabiting Palawan, and that with a continuance of the
present policy there will be no further serious trouble with
them.
The Tagbanua reservation and the school estabUshed in
connection with it have proved a great success. A large
number of Tagbanuas have settled on the reserve and
are farming industriously, while their boys and girls are
making rapid progress in school, where they obtain prac-
tical instruction that will make them better and more
useful men and women.
In Southern Palawan the wild people of the highlands,
who have never yet allowed any one to enter their coun-
trj^, are being persuaded to come down to the coast by
the estabUshment of little government trading posts
where they can sell their few products at good prices, and
can purchase what they need at a reasonable figure.
All in all, things are moving forward steadily in Palawan,
although many of the Filipino settlements are still filthy
and unsanitary. Encouraged by the results obtained in
Mindoro, I have inaugurated an active campaign to
compel these people to clean up, and anticipate success.
One thing which renders it difBcult to deal with some of
the Filipinos of this province is that in its more remote
districts they are showing a marked tendency to scatter
out into the forests where they make caingins, or forest
clearings, and live in tiny huts. Little by little they are
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBES 609
gravitating back to the barbarism from which they orig-
inally emerged, and under existing laws they are free
to do this if they like. I regret that this tendency is by
no means confined to the province of Palawan. The
Spaniards dealt with it in no gentle manner, but we are
powerless to do more than argue against it.
The (^ost of the work in Palawan in valuable human
lives has been dear. No one can at the outset fill the
place of a man like Governor Miller, who had become in-
valuable not only as a result of his personal characteristics,
but because of his years of experience and of the regard
in which he was held by his people. Unfortunately his
life is not the only one which has been sacrificed for the
good of the inhabitants of this province. Mr. W. B.
Dawson, who organized the work of the Tagbanua In-
dustrial School and was in a fair way to make a success
of it, died of mahgnant malarial fever contracted at his
post of duty. Mr. William M. Wooden, who succeeded
him, in his anxiety to return more quickly to his post
after a brief absence, leaped overboard from a launch and
was drowned while trying to swim ashore. Mr. Olney
Bondurant, assistant to the provincial governor, who
did admirable work among the Moros and the Tagbanuas
in Southern Palawan, and though suffering from danger-
ous illness never gave up, but rendered sei'\'ice in the field
on the very day of his death, also fell a victim to per-
nicious malaria.
If the results obtained by these splendid men, who amid
lonely surroundings and in the face of manifold discour-
agements, bravely and effectively carried on their coun-
try's work, are to be permanent results, then I hold that
the price has not been too dear, but if they are to be de-
stroyed by the premature withdrawal of American control
these sacrifices are pathetic indeed.
All of the territory in Northern Mindanao east of Dapi-
tan and north of the eighth parallel of latitude was at the
outset divided between the provinces of Surigao and
610 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
Misamis. It is generally conceded that these provinces
had been worse governed under An:ierican rule by their
Filipino oiEcials than have any others, and it was to be
anticipated that, under such circumstances, their very
numerous non-Christian inhabitants would prove to have
been very badly mistreated. Sinister rumoiirs reached me
from time to time as to what was occiu-ring, but I had
no competent persons whom I could send to make inves-
tigations on the ground, and intended to defer action
until I could go myself.
Matters were finally brought to a crisis by reports from
Catholic priests, school-teachers and other rehable persons
setting forth a condition of affairs which seemed to demand
immediate remedial action. The commission had pre-
viously made a hberal sum available for work among
the Bukidnon people of Misamis, and I had endeavoured
to bring about the prosecution of this work by the Fih-
pino provincial officials, but my efforts had been fmitless.
Not one centavo of the funds appropriated had ever been
expended. No Filipino pro\'incial official had so much as
visited the main Bukidnon countrj', the borders of which
were distant less than three hours' ride from the provin-
cial capital.
The Bukidnon people are industrious. They raise a
large part of the coffee, hemp and cacao exported from
Cagayan, the capital and the principal port of Misamis.
They were being robbed when they sold their produce.
A common procedure was to instruct them that they must
sell to certain individuals at absurdly low prices, and if
they did not promptly obey, to bring charges of sedition
against them and throw them into jail. As a matter of
fact, they hardly knew the meaning of the word
sedition.
Depredations upon them were by no means confined
to the town of Cagayan de Misamis. Fihpinos from the
coast invaded their territory, debauching them with
vino and purchasing their property when they were
A Difficult Bit of Rock Work on the Mountain Trail in Be:iguet.
This trail has since been widened. It formerly required nerv'e to ride a horse
around the corner where the Igorot is standing.
THE GOVERNMENT OP THE NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBES 611
drunk ; getting them into crooked gambling games and
cheating them, or swaggering around armed with revolvers
and so terrorizing them that they surrendered their be-
longings. It was common for a Filipino to go into the
Bukidnon country with nothing but the clothes on his
back, and soon to return with three or four carabaos heavily
laden with hemp, coffee, cacao, or gutta percha.
Although the provincial governor had appointed, in
some instances, men whom he had never seen as presi-
dentes of settlements, the settlements were in reality with-
out government, and their discouraged and disgusted
people were betaking themselves to the mountains whence
they had been brought years before by Jesuit missionary
priests. The wilder members of the Bukidnon tribe, and
the Manobos in the southern part of the province, who
had never abandoned their mountain homes, were preying
upon their neighbours, and committing crimes of violence
undisturbed.
In the Agusan River valley conditions were nearly as
bad. The people along the main stream were for the
most part broken-spirited Manobos. Their settlements
had been parcelled out among the members of the munic-
ipal council of Butuan to be plundered. The activities
of these "Christian" gentlemen had been such that a
number of Manobo villages were already completely
abandoned, while the people of others were gradually
betaking themselves to secure hiding-places in the track-
less forests which stretch east and west from the banks of
the Agusan.
Both in the Bukidnon and in the Manobo country the
trade in bad vi)io was being actively pushed. The prin-
cipal business on the Agusan River at that time was
shipping it up-stream. Opium was being imported in
considerable quantities from Cebu. The use of this drug
was already established among the people of Butuan, and
was gradually spreading up the river. The wilder Mano-
bos, who hved some distance back from the stream, and
612 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
the Mandayas along its upper waters, were killing and
plundering without let or hindrance.
These statements, coming as they did from absolutely
reliable witnesses, convinced me that I had allowed work
for non-Christians in other parts of the archipelago to
interfere unduly with investigations which I should have
made in this region. As the legislation under which we
were working for the betterment of the wild people had
now taken final form, all that was necessary in order to be-
gin active operations looking to the correction of these
untoward conditions was to cut off a province from Surigao
and Misamis and organize it under the Special Provincial
Government Act. In view of the relative unimportance
of the Filipino population in Misamis and Surigao, and
of the lamentable conditions which had arisen there under
Filipino pro\incial officials elected in accordance with
the provisions of the Provincial Government Act, I sug-
gested that both provinces be reorganized under the
Special Provincial Government Act. This would have
had the effect of making their officials appointive. Amer-
ican governors who would have protected the non-
Christian inhabitants could have been put in office. Un-
fortunately, the first session of the Philippine Legislature
was about to be held, the assemblymen having already
been elected. Every member of the commission present,
American and Filipino, agreed with me that the course
which I suggested would be in the interest of the in-
habitants of these two provinces, but they all shied off
when it came to taking the needed action because of the
political hullabaloo which would most certainly have re-
sulted. I was forced to accept the best compromise I
could get, and a law was passed providing for the estab-
hshment of the province of Agusan with two sub-prov-
inces to be known respectively as Butuan and Bukidnon.
Butuan took in the whole Agusan River valley as far
south as the eighth parallel of latitude, and east and west
to the crests of the two watersheds. It also included some
THE GOVERNMENT OF THEJ NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBES 613
territory on the west coast of the northern peninsula of
Mindanao. Bukidnon included all of the territory in-
habited by the people of the same name, and that of some
wild Manobos in central Mindanao.
Armed with the law creating the new province, I pro-
ceeded to investigate conditions on the ground, and ac-
tually to estabhsh the provincial government. At the
town of Butuan, situated about five miles up the Agusan
River, and accessible to good-sized steamers, I was met
by Frederick Johnson, a captain in the Philippine con-
stabulaiy who had had wide experience in dealing with
the non-Christian tribes of the Moro Province and had
been very successful in this work. At my request he
had been appointed governor of the Province of Agusan,
of which the town of Butuan was the capital.
We hired a launch, driven by a one-cylinder engine, from
a man named Wantz, and in it proceeded up the river,
taking the owner along to run the boat. It was paid
for by the day, and I was warned before I started that
Wantz had his o^ti ways of lengthening journeys. I
soon discovered that this was true. Before starting I
had indicated the settlement which must be reached
before dark, but the engine soon began to wheeze and
thump dolefully. It happened that I knew something
about gasoline engines, and this one somided to me as if
it were running with the spark advanced too far, but I
could not discover the adjusting mechanism, so exercised
diplomacy, involving Wantz in a discussion of the in-
tricacies of modem gasohne engines, and stating that I
had an automobile with a very convenient attachment
for advancing and retarding the spark. He promptly
and proudly showed me the device on his engine for the
same purpose. It was hidden away where I could not
have found it. After he had instructed me in its opera-
tion I quietly retarded the spark, and the engine began
to work in a most cheering manner. In order to punish
Wantz, I insisted that we keep on until we reached our
614 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
prescribed destination, in spite of the time we had
lost.
We had a prophet of evil on board who predicted that
Wantz would certainly have the engine thoroughly
stacked by the next morning, and he did. We had planned
to start at daylight, but, when we climbed down to the
boat in the gray dawn, found him puttering over its ma-
chinery. He said that the cylinder was "froze up." As
the temperature did not seem to warrant such a result,
I got him to explain to me what was wrong, and after
watching him put on and take off the cylinder-head several
times, discovered that he had an ingenious contrivance so
arranged that by giving a single push he could put the
make-and-break spark connection out of commission from
the inside of the cylinder. I myself adjusted it properly,
compelled him to put on the cylinder-head without touch-
ing his disarranging mechanism, and we went on our way.
For some time I watched him closely, and wliile I continued
to do so, the engine ran beautifully, but ultimately I had
to go ashore to inspect a rotting Manobo settlement, and
while I was gone he queered it again in such a manner that
I could not find the cause of the mischief. We had speedy
revenge, however, for while we were negotiating a swift
rapid the engine died, with the result that the launch
nearly turned turtle and narrowly escaped being wrecked.
This frightened Wantz, and after a few mysterious manip-
ulations on his part the engine began to "put, put, put"
again most cheerfully, and we ascended the rapid without
difficulty.
On the evening of the third day we reached a Filipino
settlement called Talacogon, seventy miles up the river.
Wantz began to complain that he was sick, and as Talaco-
gon would have been a very comfortable place to lie over,
I opined that his ailment would become acute before
morning. At four o'clock I sneaked down to the river
bank by a back street to see what was going on. He was
whistling cheerfully. I beat a careful retreat, then came
THE GO\'ERNMENT OF THE NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBES 615
ostentatiously down the main road to the pier. Sepul-
chral groans were now issuing from the launch, and Wantz
was not \'isible. I found him writhing on its bottom
in assumed agony. By this time I had become convinced
that a native banca with a few good oarsmen would be
better than a launch with such an engineer, so told him
I was f-o^ry he was ill, gave him permission to return to
Butuan, and offered to pay what I owed him on the spot.
WTien he found that it was not my intention to pay for
the time consmned by the return trip his symptoms
became less alarming, and he expressed hope of ultimate
recover\^ Interrogated as to the probable date when he
would be prepared to continue the journey, he put it three
days ahead. I told him that I could not wait so long.
Gradually he reduced to half a day the time which the
reestablishment of his health would require, but I told
him that I could not wait, and that his recovery must be
immediate if he was to continue with us. This was too
much of a jolt to his pride, and when we were ready to em-
bark he was still too ill to start ! We accordingly loaded
our belongings into two hancas each some sixty feet long,
lay down on our backs in their little cabins, and con-
tinued on our way upstream.
The trip up the Agusan River is a most wonderful one.
Nothing could surpass the magnificence of the tropical
vegetation along its banks. The sportsman finds him-
self constantly diverted. Great fruit pigeons and huge
hornbills frequently fly over one's boat, or perch in trees
where thej' can be shot from the river. Monkeys abound.
Huge crocodiles may occasionally be observed sleeping
on the banks. Wild hogs are plentiful, but usually keep
out of sight. The trees are hung with a marvellous drap-
ery of vines, orchids and ferns, and, as the stream is so
broad and deep as to render its navigation easy, one can
lean back and enjoy to the full the beauties of nature dis-
played in prodigal abundance on every side.
We found the human inhabitants of this wonderful
616 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
region a highly unsatisfactory lot. The Manobo fam-
ihes were living either singly, scattered along the river,
or grouped in httle villages composed of a dozen or two
rotting huts and surrounded by the accumulated filth of
years. As was to be anticipated under the circumstances,
most of the people were full of malaria, and many suffered
from repulsive skin diseases. They had little cultivated
ground. The growing and cleaning of hemp was their
only resource, and they had become so accustomed to
having the products of their labour taken from them by
the people of Butuan that they had almost given up
working. They hstened with dull, uncomprehending
hopelessness to our story of better days to come, and it
soon became evident that nothing but practical experience
would convince these helpless people that times were
going to change.
The Filipinos of Talacogon were an especially lazy,
vicious lot, who did no work themselves, but sponged or
stole a living from their non-Christian neighbours. Forest
trees were springing up on the plaza of this town. Its
streets were deep in mud, and its sanitary condition beg-
gared description. I was really afraid to stay overnight.
I ordered the people to clean up, and they laughed at me.
I ultimately made them clean up, but they successfully
resisted my efforts to do so longer than the people of any
other town ever did, and several years passed before I was
at all satisfied with results.
Our progress up the river was unimpeded until we
reached what is shown on the maps of Mindanao as a
series of extensive lakes, but is in reality a huge and track-
less swamp. Some years before a very severe earthquake
had caused the subsidence of a vast forested area along
the banks of this portion of the Agusan River, with the
result that the old river-bed was completely broken up,
and the river below this point reversed its flow for some
time until the depressed region had been filled up by the
water which entered it from all sides. There were no
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBES 617
well-established channels through this submerged forest,
and navigation in it was dangerous unless one had ex-
perienced guides.
In order that such guides might be always available,
the Spaniards had compelled a number of them to live
on the outskirts of the swamp at a place called Clavijo.
The ground on which their houses stood was under water
most of the year. They were a miserable, sickly lot.
Most of them were suffering acutely from malaria, and
aU were verj' anxious to abandon the ill-fated site of their
village, — a thing which, it is needless to say, they were
promptly permitted by us to do. Having secured the
services of several of them, we continued our journey
toward Bunauan, but found the stream which we ascended
after extricatmg ourselves from the swamp so choked
with rubbish that it was frequently necessary either to
clear channels or to haul our heavj' boats over masses of
dead tree trunks, branches, bamboo, etc. From Bunauan
we returned to Butuan and sailed for Cagayan de Misamis.
\Miile passing along one of the main streets of the latter
town on my way to the provincial building, I discovered
Bukidnon people buying vino by the demijohn. The law
prohibiting the sale of alcohohc Hquors to members of
non-Christian tribes was then in effect throughout the
archipelago. One of the first questions which I put to
the FiHpino governor was whether he had taken the neces-
sary measures to see that this law was enforced. He
repUed in the affirmative. I asked him what he had
done. He said that he had sent letters to the several
Bukidnon settlements telling the people that they must
not buy vino. I asked liim if he had warned the dealers
in his own town that they must not sell to the Bukidnons,
and he rephed, "It has not occurred to me to do that ! "
Ha\dng explained to the governor the terms of the law
establishing the province of Agusan, and the reasoia for
its adoption, I proceeded across the bay to a barrio
which then was, and stiU is, the point of departure for
618 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
the interior, planning to start at daylight the following
morning. I had with me my private secretary Mr. Zinn,
and Mr. Frederick Lewis, who had just accepted appoint-
ment as lieutenant-governor of the sub-province.
Lewis had taken a number of Zamboanga Moros to
the St. Louis Exposition and had also assumed charge of
the Lake Lanao Moros there when their manager mis-
behaved and it became necessary to dispense with his
services. He had looked after his people so carefully and
so well that some of the hardened old sinners from Lake
Lanao actually wept when they parted company with
him on the beach after their return from the United
States ! He was a tireless rider, and the country which
he was to govern was a horseman's country par excellence.
Our transportation for the trip was in charge of a
Filipino Ueutenant of constabulary, named Manuel
Fortich, and I was not greatly pleased with this arrange-
ment, as we had a hard journey ahead of us which might
be rendered difficult or even dangerous by lack of effi-
ciency on the part of the man who looked after our saddle
animals and om- carriers. I soon learned, however, that
no better man could have been selected for this task.
We marched at daylight, as is my custom when travel-
ling overland in the provinces. At midnight a mounted
Filipino messenger, sent by the caciques of Cagayan, had
started ahead of us to frighten the people of the towns
which we proposed to visit so that they would take to
the hills. In this he was partially successful. When
we reached the small settlement of Tancuran late in the
afternoon, after a hard day's work, the only inhabitants
left were a few old cripples who had been too sick or
too feeble to run away. However, many of those who
had fled were hiding in the underbrush near by. Lieu-
tenant Fortich, who had already made himself invalu-
able to us, soon rounded up quite a number of them,
and they were in turn despatched for their friends.
This little village was in a deplorable state of abandon-
--. -**■
A«jr«
A FLYi.sti Ferry in Operation.
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBES 619
ment. Only a few of its houses were habitable. It had
been well laid out by some good Jesuit missionary priest,
but its streets and plaza were choked with a jungle of
tropical vegetation through which ran trails resembhng
deer paths ! There was absolutely nothing growing in
the vicinity which could furnish food for a human being.
Lieutenant Fortich ultimately got together quite an
audience for me. We squatted around a cheerful camp-
fire and discussed the past and the future until late at
night. I was deUghted to find that my auditors took a
keen interest in my statements. They soon gained
courage to tell me freely of the abuses which they had suf-
fered, and while obviously not optimistic over my prom-
ises of better things, were evidently willing to be shown.
Just before we turned in Lieutenant Fortich asked me
at what time I would Uke to start in the morning. I
said "five o'clock." He replied, "Very well." While
his remarks were gratifyingly in. accord with the biblical
injunction to "let your conversation be yea, yea; nay,
nay," I feared that he did not fully comprehend the
difficulties involved in an early start, so decided to take a
hand myself when the time came. I accordingly arose at
three-thirty a.m., and nearly fainted when I found that the
horses were already munching their grain and, wonder of
wonders, that the carriers were eating their breakfast.
The usual thing is to be informed, when you are about
an hour on your way, that the carriers have had no break-
fast, and to be forced to sit down and wait while they
cook and eat their morning meal. I went back to bed,
convinced that I had discovered a new kind of Filipmo con-
stabulary officer. I got up again at four o'clock, dressed,
and went to the table at four-thirty, finding a piping hot
meal ready. When at five o'clock I descended the stairs
of the house where I had spent the night, my horse was
saddled and waiting at the gate. All I had to do was to
cUmb aboard. Meanwhile I had not heard an order given,
or a word spoken in a tone above that of ordinary con versa-
620 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
tion. Throughout the trip Lieutenant Fortich continued
to display quiet efficiency. I jotted his name down in
my mental notebook as that of a man to be used later.
He is to-day the lieutenant-governor of Bukidnon, and
a most faithful, competent and efficient public officer.
During my first day's ride I had had a decidedly start-
ling experience. On leaving the sea beach one climbs
rather abruptly for some nine hundred feet and then comes
out on a wonderful plain. After riding over this beautiful
stretch of level country for some time I could not longer
resist the temptation to attempt to take a panoramic
series of views showing it, so dismoimted, set up my
camera and made three exposures, rotating the instru-
ment so as to get a panoramic effect. I worked with my
back toward my companions, and became so absorbed in
my task that I failed to notice that they were moving on.
When I finally turned around I discovered to my utter
amazement that I was alone, save for the carrier who
packed my camera and plates. In every direction an
apparently unbroken plain stretched for miles, and
there was not another human being in sight. My com-
panions had disappeared from off the face of the earth.
I actually began to fear that I had taken leave of my
senses. Nothing which has ever befallen me has given
me such a curious sensation. However, one tangible
thing remained ; to wit, a well-marked trail through the
grass. I followed it, and before I had gone three hundred
yards came to the brink of a precipitous canon down
the wall of which my companions were zigzagging. From
the point where I had taken my photographs it was ab-
solutelj' impossible to detect the existence of this narrow
crack in the earth. We soon learned, to our sorrow, that
this first canon was only one of many.
At its bottom was a raging torrent which we forded
with difficulty. My fool horse got frightened and turned
down-stream where the current was swiftest, and I nar-
rowly escaped taking an impromptu trip down rapids
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBES 621
which would have hammered me into insensibility against
the rocks.
Until we reached Malaybalay the conditions encoun-
tered in the several villages through which we passed were
similar to those which we had found at Tanculan : houses
abandoned for the most part, and always in a lamentable
state of neglect ; sanitary conditions very bad ; streets
and plazas overgrown ; an abundance of coffee bushes
in some of the villages, but no visible source of food supply
anywhere, except for a few scraggly banana plants.
At the outset we had found all the villages deserted,
but in each case had managed to get some of the people
back and hold a friendly interview with them. The
"grapevine telegraph" got to working, and soon they
began to await our arrival. At Malaj^balay they gave
us quite an ovation. This town was comparatively
clean ; the grass on the plaza was neatly cut. All in all,
conditions were so encouraging that I decided that it
should be the capital of the subprovince.
The following day we continued our journey to Linabo,
where I heard of a Fihpino engaged, as usual, in terrorizing
the inhabitants and taking their products from them. I
twice sent him courteous requests to come to see me, and
then had him unceremoniously brought into my presence.
He was carrying an ugly looking, hea\y-calibre six-shooter.
I demanded the document which justified his possession
of this weapon, and as he could produce nothing more
satisfactory than a note from the governor of Misamis
authorizing him to use it in that province, I took his gun
away from him. He assumed a threatening attitude and
warned me that he was a friend of the provincial gov-
ernor, but I told him that he was not a friend of mine,
and started him on his way to the coast.
This occurrence was known throughout Bukidnon
within three days, and as the man in question was in-
fluential the fact that his claws had been at least tempo-
rarily trimmed greatly encouraged the people.
622 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
From Linabo we returned by a different route, visit-
ing tlie old settlement of Sumilao, the site of the origi-
nal Jesuit mission in Bukidnon, and spending a day in
endeavouring to reach a constantly disappearing vil-
lage named Nanca. We had gathered from the writ-
ten report of a lieutenant of the United States army
that Nanca was distant from Sumilao about two hours'
ride. We reached it after dark, having travelled stead-
ily throughout the day except for some thirty minutes
taken for lunch, and having, I firmly beUeve, broken
the world's record for the number of canons encount-
ered in the course of a fourteen-hour ride.
Nanca proved to be a very interesting Bukidnon
village, as its people retained theu* picturesque tribal dress
and most of their priinitive customs. I became much
interested in finding out about its organization, and the
part that each family took in its affairs, and asked
the persons present what each man did. I finally
came to a particularly fine-looking white-haired mdi-
vidual, and when I inquired about him my informant
replied: "Oh, he does not do anything. He is a phi-
losopher!" Then the crowd shouted with laughter.
We decided that the Bukidnons were not without a
sense of humor.
A hard half day's ride brought us back to Cagayan de
Misamis, and I sailed at once for Manila, leaving Lieu-
tenant-Governor Lewis to face his difficult task alone.
As I had anticipated, trouble promptly began. The
wealthiest people of Cagayan had always lived off
the unfortunate Bukidnons, and had no intention
of relaxing their grip. I have deeply regretted that I
did not myseK visit the remaining villages in the valley
of the Cagayan River and explain to their inhabitants
the change in their fortunes. Agents of the Cagayan
caciques had been busy there while I was occupied on the
other side of the subprovince, and shortly after my arrival
at Manila a telegram was received from the provincial
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBES 623
governor, saying that the Bukidnons were asking for a
brown governor, instead of a white one, and were reported
to be preparing ropes and poison with which to commit
suicide.
Now these simple people of the hills had no intention
of committing suicide, nor did they want "a brown gov-
ernor." Their petitions were prepared by Cagayan ca-
ciques and they were forced to sign them.
In the part of the subprovince which I had visited the
conspirators against the new government made little
headway. Nevertheless their vicious activities con-
tinued, and later, on several occasions, they succeeded in
frightening the people of one or another of the then
rapidly growing towns so badly that they took to the
hills, and Mr. Lewis had to hunt them up and persuade
them to come back again, which he always succeeded in
doing.
"Wlien I returned to inspect Bukidnon a year later, I
found that a marvellous change had already been brought
about. Model villages had taken the place of the ram-
shackle affairs which I had found on my first visit. The
houses were grouped around spacious plazas on which
the grass had been so carefully cut that they had already
begmi to look like lawns. Streets were kept so clean
that one could literally pick up a dropped pin without
the shghtest difficulty. \Vhere the streets reached the
open prairie, bars were provided to keep stray animals
out of town. Every yard was neatly fenced. All do-
mestic animals were properly confined if not out at pas-
ture. Every village was perfectly drained, the slope of
the land being such that all drainage promptly ran off
onto the prairie. Yards were immaculately clean and
were planted with useful food-producing crops. Little
cultivated fields were already beginning to appear near
the outskirts of the towns. This latter change greatly
delighted me. These poor, ignorant people had always
beheved that the prairie soil was worthless for agi-icultural
624 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
purposes, and that in order to grow crops it was necessary
for them to go to the distant mountains, clear forest land
and plant it. Furthermore, they had been quite unable
to break the prairie sod and bring the underlying soil
under cultivation with such simple agricultm-al imple-
ments as they possessed.
At the request of Lieutenant-Governor Lewis, I had
furnished two disk plows with the necessary animals to
pull them, in order that the land might be plowed the
first time for those who were wUhng to cultivate it.
Thereafter they were left to cai-e for it themselves. This
plan had aroused great enthusiasm. As I approached
Sumilao I saw a crowd of men busily engaged in some
task, and when I drew near was amazed and dehghted
to find that, although the disk plow intended for use at
that place had arrived before the animals which were to
pull it, fifteen men had harnessed themselves to it and
were vigorously breaking the sod. I decided on the spot
that the Bukidnon people had a future, and have never
changed ray mind. The progress which they have since
made is almost unbelievable.
Efforts to destroy the government wliich we had es-
tablished in Bukidnon, and to reestabUsh the system of
peonage under which its peaceful, industrious inhabitants
had so long groaned, were persistently continued. Dur-
ing my tliird annual inspection trip, I found that there
was a plan on foot to trump up criminal charges against
Lieutenant-Governor Lewis and Senor Manuel Fortich,
whose ser\'ices I had meanwhile secured as an assistant
to Mr. Lewis upon his severing his connection with the
constabulary. The efforts of the mischief-makers had
become so persistent and so \'icious that I decided to
declare war on them. Accordingly, I ran over to Cagayan
and summoned the provincial officers and several other
prominent citizens, with whom I went straight to the
point, telhng them that I had not anticipated that they
would readily adapt themselves to the changed conditions
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBES 625
which resulted from the separation of Bukidnon as a
distinct subprovince, and had patiently waited three
years for them to accept the inevitable, but that I had
grown weary of their constant efforts to nuUify the work
which we were doing, and that I was aware of the plan
to destroy the usefulness of Lewis and Fortich ; adding
that they must let the Bukidnon officials alone, and that
in the event of futiue failure to do so I would temporarily
transfer my office to Cagayan de Misamis and devote my
time and attention to making things interesting for certain
of them. I named no names, and it was not necessary
to do so. The individuals referred to knew whom I
meant.
Conditions now rapidly improved for a time, but in
November I was called to Wasliington to be investigated
by the Committee on Insular Affairs with reference to
my administration of public and friar lands, and the
enemies of the Bukidnon government promptly became
active. Governor Lewis was arrested and tried on two
criminal charges, while his assistant, Senor Fortich,
was charged with miu-der, no less. If the charges of
estafa and falsification of pubhc documents brought
against Lewis failed, it was proposed to prosecute him
for adultery, the minimum penalty for which in the
Phihppine Islands is imprisonment for two years, four
months and one day.
Fortunately, it took but a short time to show that the
cases against those two young men were spite cases pure
and simple, and they collapsed miserably. Other charges
were promptly brought.
There had been a sad mix up, resulting from an ill-
defined boundary line between Bukidnon and the Moro
Province, for which I myself was directly responsible,
as the papers concerning it were on my desk awaiting
action when I was called home, and in the rush of a hiu-ried
departure I had overlooked them. Lewis and Fortich
had been unjustly blamed for the result. I now took a
626 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
hand in the game myself, and the whole matter was
satisfactorily cleared up. Lewis was promoted to the
governorship of the province of Agusan, and Fortich was
made Ueutenant-governor of Bukidnon, a position which
he has fiUed ever since with great credit to himself and
advantage to the Bukidnon people.
The progress which has been made in Bukidnon is
really wonderful. At the outset there was not a decent
trail in the subprovince. Now one can go nineteen miles
inland to the Mangima River canon in an automobile,
and it will be soon possible so to continue the jom-ney
ten miles further to Maluco. Excellent low-grade horse
trails, many miles of which are already wide enough
to serve as automobile roads as soon as the line
to the coast is completed, connect the principal settle-
ments of Bukidnon proper, which also have telephonic
communication, the people having gladly undertaken to
cut and erect the necessary poles and build and maintain
the lines, if furnished instruments, wire, insulators and
tools. They have kept theii- bargain, and there are con-
stant demands for an extension of the system, under
similar conditions, to the more remote mountain villages.
There was not a bridge or a culvert in the subprovince.
Pack animals were constantly being swept away by the
rushing cm-rents of the larger rivers, or perishing miser-
ably in mud when attempting to cross soft-bottomed
creeks. Now one may ride from the sea-coast to Malay-
balay -sv-ithout wetting the feet of one's horse, and in so
doing one will cross more than a hundred substantial
bridges and culverts built by the Bukidnons themselves.
As a rule, even the largest bridges have cost the govern-
ment no more than the price of their iron bolts and braces.
The people have voluntarily and cheerfully done the work,
in order to get the benefits which would result. In some
cases heavy hardwood timbers have been dragged for
fifteen miles or more by teams of hundreds of men. All
bridges are roofed, and they afford fine camping places
A Wild Tingian of Apatao.
The Tingians of Apayao have proved to be the most difficult of the liill-tribcs
of Xorthern Luzon to bring under effective governmental control. With
them head-hunting is connected with religious beliefs and observances.
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBES 627
for travellers and their pack animals. Incidentally the
load which pack animals can comfortably carry has
been more than doubled.
Old villages have increased greatly in size, and numer-
ous new ones have been estabUshed. All have spacious
plazas and streets which are beautifully kept. The
mountains are almost depopulated. The hardy old
fighters who used to frequent them have become peaceful
agriculturists. Houses are neat and clean. Yards are
fenced, planted with useful crops, and well cultivated.
Each house has its own sanitary arrangements. No
domestic animals are allowed to run at large in towns.
Rich, cultivated fields surround the villages and each
year stretch farther and farther out over the neighbouring
prairies. Coffee production is increasing by leaps and
bounds, and blight is disappearing from the plantations
as the result of intensive cultivation. The people are
well fed and prosperous. Their condition steadily im-
proves. They have been taught the value of their prod-
ucts, and encouraged to insist on receiving it.
Practically every village has its schoolhouse and its
schoolmaster's house, voluntarily built free of charge
by the inhabitants. Children are sent to school by their
parents and learn rapidly. On my second \'isit I found
the boys trying to play baseball, using joints of bamboo
for bats, and big, thick-skinned oranges for balls. I sent
to each of the more important towns a complete baseball
outfit, and now the boys certainly know, and can play,
the game.
These results have been accompUshed practically
without bloodshed or rough treatment of any sort. Only
in the rarest instances, and in dealing with the very worst
of the hill men, who were professional murderers, has a
shot been fired.
When the subprovince was invaded by bands of savages
from the mountains of Butuan and from the neighbouring
Moro Province, the people requested firearms so that they
628 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
might protect themselves. Some twenty-five old car-
bines were furnished them, and they organized an effective
force which pursued the evil-doers and policed them up
very effectively.
Maramag, one of the most recently estabhshed villages,
is in the very heart of Mindanao. Two years ago a good
many of its leading citizens were Uving in tree-houses.
During August, 1912, I found them cutting the grass on
their plaza with a lawn-mower !
Another thing which has made me rub my eyes and
wonder if I were awake was the discovery that the people
of this subprovince were clothing thejnselves and their
children in garments purchased from Montgomery,
Ward & Co., of Chicago, Illinois, U. S. A. ! The explana-
tion is simple. The Cagayan shopkeepers persist in
cheating them at every opportunity, and the house of
Montgomery, Ward & Co. does not. Although Chicago
is far away, the mail service is nevertheless good !
Death has just summoned Leoncio, one of the most
remarkable men who has yet arisen among the Bukidnon
people. We found him an absolutely iUiterate heathen.
With no other instruction than that given him by Ueu-
tenant-governors Lewis and Fortich, he learned to lay
out and build roads and trails on any desired grade, to
constmct bridges which will be standing twenty years
hence, and to erect public buildings which would be a
credit to any man compelled to use such materials as
those available in Bukidnon.
At the time of his death he was just finishing a bridge
three hundred feet long across the rushing Culaman River.
This structure has a galvanized iron roof, contributed by
the enthusiastic residents of Sumilao.
The healthful rivalry between towns is one of the
delightful things about Bukidnon. Each desires to have
better buildings, better streets, better bridges, better
roads and better schools than its neighbours.
I experience no keener pleasure than that which I enjoy
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBES 629
on my annual trips through Bukidnon. There is always
something new to see. The people are most grateful
for the help which has been given them. Their friend-
Uness and their loyalty cannot fail to touch the hearts of
all who know them. They are now well housed, and well
fed. Their children are being given in hberal measure
the education which had previously been denied to them.
The Bukidnons are to-day a prosperous, progressive
people, happy, and contented. I have an abiding faith
in their future if they are given a chance.
When they meet their old FiUpino oppressors on trips
to the coast, the latter grit their teeth and remark under
their breath : "Oh, very well. This is your inning now,
but ours will come ! The Americans are going soon, and
then we will square our little account with you. You
will pay dearly for your 'insubordination'!" Having
set the feet of these people on the road which leads on-
ward and upward, shall we leave them to their fate ?
Conditions in Butuan have improved far more slowly
than in Bukidnon. The climate is less favourable.
Bukidnon is a highland country with a white man's
cUmate. The Agusan River valley is usually hot, and
always damp. The town of Butuan was considered the
worst misgoverned municipality in the Philippines on
the date of its separation from Surigao, and it was cer-
tainly one of the filthiest. I have sunk to my knees in
the mud of its streets. It is to-day a beautifully kept
and sanitary place, and is certainly not misgoverned.
As I have already said, the Manobo inhabitants of the
wretched villages along the banks of the main Agusan
River were a sickly, filthy, broken-spirited lot, besotted
with vino and in danger of becoming victims of the opium
habit. It is almost a physical impossibility completely
to suppress the opium traffic because of the ease with
which the drug is smuggled, but the vino traffic has been
suppressed. The chief business on the Agusan River
was formerly the transportation of vino up-stream. It is
630 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
now the transportation down-stream of Manila hemp
raised by the people of the valley.
The villages have been greatly improved and rendered
reasonably sanitary. The best of them compare not
unfavourably with some of the Bukidnon towns. The
people improve, but radical improvement will not be in
evidence until the next generation comes on.
Transportation facilities have been greatly increased
by freeing several of the more important branches of the
Agusan River from snags, and so opening them for
launch navigation. Two good canals have been cut
through the swamps, and conmiunication by launch has
thus been opened with the upper Agusan ^^alley.
There is an industrial school for Manobo boys, and a
number of the villages have primarj' schools.
Doubtless the most important single factor in improving
the condition of the Manobos has been the estabhshment
of a series of government shops at which they can sell
their products for a fair price, and buy what they need so
cheaply that it almost seems to them as if they were
receiving presents.
Governor Frederick Johnston, who is largely respon-
sible for these improved conditions, laboured ceaselessly
to bring them about. At the outset he had no launch
transportation and Uved for weeks at a time in native
canoes or bancas. He was fearless and tireless. When
the time came for him to take long overdue leave I had
no competent person to put in his place, and in deference
to my washes he continued at his post for nearly two years.
At the end of that time it was found that one of his legs,
which had been injured on an early exploring expedition,
had become cancerous, and that immediate amputation
was necessary. This made it impossible for him to con-
tinue his work, and crippled him for life. He had borne
his trouble uncomplainingly, and I had not even known of
its existence. Although a man of mature years, he bravely
entered upon the study of medicine, hoping to prepare
THE GO\'ERNMENT OF THE NON-CHRISTLAJ^ TRIBES 631
himself for a useful life, but the operation had come
too late. Cancer reappeared, and for a year he was
dying by inches. In a way I am responsible for it. Do
you think he laid it up against me ? You shall judge for
yourselves.
He used to write a copj'-book hand. Just before
leaving Manila I received from him an almost illegible
letter in which he economized words as if composing a
cablegram. It brought the tears to my eyes. He said : —
"I thank you for your slavery book just received. If
strength is left me to read it, I shall read it though I do nothing
else in this life.
"I have had letter in preparation to you since last June but
I haven't strength to sit at the machine. I expect now to die
before New Year.
" I have offered surgeons to take all chances, but they decline
to operate, stating that thej' would consider operation delib-
erate murder.
"Tliis is first letter I wTite since last September. If I do
not get strength to finish tjijewritten letter I have given in-
structions it be sent when I am dead. I cannot write with
pen; I have tried it.
''If you hear no more, please remember I never forgot j'ou.
Sorrj' you leave the Secretariat — so sorry I can't tell you.
"I am ready to die. I know that I have lived unselfishly
for what I thought was right and good, and death is nothing.
If this should be the last, then accept from the man that was
alwavs vour man and will be j'our man until he dies, a last
Good-by."
A few days later he went to his reward.
The loyaltj' of such a man is a precious possession.
The lot of the non-Christian tribes inhabiting the
regTilarly organized pro\dnces is not a happy one. The
township government act is apphcable to their settle-
ments, and the pro\dncial officers have the same powers
and duties with reference to them as have the correspond-
ing officers in the special government provinces. In
both cases these powers are exercised subject to the ap-
proval of the secretary of the interior, but in providing
632 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
for the government of non-Christians in Christian prov-
inces, we overlooked one very essential detail. Neither
the secretary of the interior nor any one else has authority
to compel the governors or provincial boards of these
provinces to act. They have discovered that efforts
to improve the condition of the ignorant and primi-
tive peoples intrusted to their charge can be very effec-
tively nulhfied if they merely sit still and do nothing, and
almost with one accord they have adopted this pohcy.
Exception should be made in favour of North Ilocos, South
Ilocos, Pangasinan, AmbosCamarines, Iloilo and Zambales.
No other provinces have made any real effort to help their
non-Christian population, and the funds set aside by law
to be expended for this end simply go on accumulating in
their respective treasuries, as I have managed to convince
them that efforts to divert such fimds to purposes not
authorized by law will not prosper. The law should be
so amended as to provide that if provincial boards fail
to act, the secretary of the interior may do so.
The organization of the Moro Province was provided
for by an act passed on June 1, 1903. It is the largest
single province in the Phihppine Islands, including within
its limits more than half of the great island of Mindanao
with various small islands adjacent thereto, and Basilan,
Jolo, Siassi, Tawi Tawi, Sibutu, Cagayan de Jolo and the
very numerous other small islands stretching between
Mindanao and North Borneo. It is divided into five
districts, each with a district governor. The province
has a governor, a secretary, a treasurer, an attorney, an
engineer and a superintendent of schools.
The four officials first named constitute a legislative
council the acts of which are subject to the approval of
the Philippine Commission.
The province is allowed to expend the moneys accruing
from the customs dues paid at Jolo and Zamboanga,
which are ports of entry, but is not fully self-supporting.
The insular government pays for the Phihppine constabu-
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBES 633
lary serving there. Until within a very short time the
provincial officials have been almost exclusively officers
of the army of the United States. In my opinion this
arrangement has been a bad one, not because of the
character of the men who have done the work, many of
whom were of exceptional abihty and were admii'ably
fitted for the performance of the duties which fell to their
lot, but because no one of them has retained a given office
long enough to carry a policy through to its logical con-
clusion and get the results which might thus have been
obtained. Indeed, the lack of a fixed policy, combined
with some unnecessary and unjustifiable killing, explain,
in my opinion, the fact that the results accompUshed
have come far short of what might have been expected
when one considers the splendid body of men from which
the provincial officials have been drawn.
Noteworthy public improvements have been made in
places like Zamboanga and Jolo, but the country of the
hiU people, which ought to have been crisscrossed with
trails long ere this, is still not opened up. Tribes Uke the
Mandayas would, if given the opportunity, advance as
rapidly as have the Bukidnons, but such opportunity has
not been given to them to any considerable extent.
Having heard much of the JMandaya villages near
Mati, I improved the opportunity to visit them in August,
1912, only to find to my amazement that the local con-
stabulary officer, who ought to have been in the closest
possible touch with these people, did not even know the
way to their settlements. At another place where some
1400 hill people had been compelled to come down from
their native mountains and settle in a village which could
have been made a model of cleanliness, and should have
been surrounded by rich cultivated fieldsj not half enough
ground had been cleared to furnish food for the inhabit-
ants, even under the most favourable circumstances.
The houses were faffing down ; the streets were deep in
mud ; the garden patches were overgrown with weeds ;
634 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
more than half of the people had taken to the hills again
in a search for food, and small blame to them ! I found
here as fine appearing a young constabulary officer as
one could hope to meet, eating his heart out because he
had nothing to do ! Neither he nor any of his soldiers
spoke the local dialect. He was supposed to be running
a store, among other things, for the benefit of the hill
people. I asked to see it, and it took him half an hour to
find the key ! In sixty minutes I could have set him work
enough to keep him busy for three months. All that he
needed was some one to direct him, but there was no one
to do it. With the best intentions in the world he was
using his soldiers to chase a lot of poor hill people back
into a village where they ought never to have been asked
to Hve. In other words, the Moro Province, having
brought these people down and ordered them to settle
on a site selected for them, had signally failed to back its
own game. I myseK would not tliink of trying to compel
members of a wild tribe to live in any given place, unless
it were necessary to do so in the interest of pubUc order.
Life in villages can, and should, be made so attractive to
them that they will be glad to adopt it.
The Moros, with their fanatical religious beHefs and
prejudices, present a veiy grave problem. Conditions
have undoubtedly greatly improved in Davao, Cotabato
and Zamboanga. I am not sufficiently famihar with
affairs in the Lanao district to express an intelhgent
opinion concerning them. So far as concerns Jolo, it is
my opinion that things have come to a bad pass there;
that life and property are not as safe to-day as they were
during the early days of the American occupation, and
that we have progressed backward for some time. How-
ever, Jolo pirates have at least been pretty effectively
kept off the sea, and that in itself is a very important
result.
It is idle to suppose that the Moros can be subdued and
made into decent citizens by throwing kisses at them. It
TiNGiAN Girls Threshing Rice.
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBES 635
was certain from the start that they would transgress.
In my opinion, if we are to cure them of their evil ten-
dencies, we must first warn them that they will be pim-
ished if they misbehave, and then make the warning come
true. This has been done, but to another very important
part of the programme which I deem essential to success,
comparatively httle attention seems to have been given.
When people who have been punished for misbehavior
have had enough they should be afforded a chance to quit,
and mdeed should be encouraged and helped to do so.
No grudge should be borne for past misdeeds after the
account has once been settled. Occasions have not been
lacking in the Moro Province on which men have been
treated with severity when they should have been treated
with kindness.
In the Moro, native racial characteristics have been
profoundly modified by rehgious behefs. Men endowed
with such magnificent courage as the Moro warriors often
display certainly have their redeeming quahties. The
same old pohcy that has won with the Ifugaos, Bontoc
Igorots and Kalingas, and is winning with the wild Tin-
gians and Ilongots, has been tried in dealing with the
renegade Moros of Palawan with a considerable degree of
success. It is my firm beUef that it will work with the
Moros of Mindanao, Basilan, Jolo and Tawi Tawi, but
substantial and permanent progress cannot now be antici-
pated for many years. The Moros must be given more
than a square deal, or results will not differ essentially
from those which have attended the efforts of Japan to
subdue the hill people of Northern Formosa, or those of
the Dutch to subdue the Achinese.
Recently nearly all of the army officers holding posi-
tions in the Moro Province have been replaced by ci-
vilians. This is a move in the right direction; not, I
repeat, because the men thus displaced are incapable of
achieving success if given the opportunity, but because
contmuity of policy is absolutely essential to success and
636 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
is impracticable if the men charged with carrying out that
pohcy are to be constantly changed. The next governor
of the Moro Province should be a civiUan and should be
selected with the greatest care. He should be able, en-
ergetic, fearless, tireless and young. He should be kept
in office for twenty years if he will stay so long. The task
which awaits him is real man's work.
CHAPTER XXIII
Corrigenda
I TRUST that the foregoing incomplete outline of what
has been accomplished toward bettering the condition
of the non-Christian tribes of the Philippines has at least
sufficed to convey some idea of the nature of the task which
has confronted us and of the spirit in which it has been
approached. Before considering further the difficulties
which have been successfully met and the problems which
still remain misettled, I will correct some of the numerous
misstatements which have been made relative to the un-
importance of the non-Christian tribes, the nature of the
work done for them, and the motives of some of those
who have engaged in it.
I once heard it said that the trouble with Blount's
book was that it contained five thousand hes, that the
correction of each would require, on the average, two pages
of printed matter, and that no one would read the result-
ing series of volumes !
I have not counted the misstatements of this author.
They are sufficiently nmnerous to make it impracticable
to answer them all in detail. It is hard to know just what
to do in such a case, as one must run the risk of giving
undue importance to them by noticing them, or of creat-
ing the impression that they cannot be answered by
ignoring them.
Under all the circumstances it has seemed to me well
to reply somewhat fully to his more important allegations
relative to non-Christian tribe matters, for the reason,
among others, that many of his statements embody the
more important claims of the Filipino politicians relative
thereto ; and to add that it would be equally easy to
637
638 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
riddle his contentions relative to most other matters which
he discusses. He says : —
"Professor Worcester of the Philippine Commission has for
the last twelve years been the grand official digger-up of non-
Christian tribes. He takes as much delight at the discovery
of a new non-Christian tribe in some remote, newly penetrated
mountain fastness, as the butterfly catcher with the proverbial
blue goggles does in the capture of a new kind of butterfly." >
I have never had the good fortune to discover even one
new tribe, the net result of my explorations and studies
having been to reduce the number of such tribes claimed
to inhabit the Philippines from eighty-two to twenty-seven,
and to throw serious doubt on the validity of several of
those which I still provisionally recognize. Blount adds : —
"Professor Worcester's greatest value to President Taft,
and also the thing out of which has grown, most unfortunately,
what seems to be a very cordial mutual hatred between him
and the Filipinos, is his activities in the matter of discovering,
getting acquainted with, classifying, tabulating, enumerating,
and otherwise preparing for salvation, the various non-Christian
tribes." ^
It is quite true that the Fihpino politicians have bit-
terly resented my making known the facts relative to the
existence of numerous uncivilized peoples in the islands,
but to the charge that I hate the Filipinos I must enter
an emphatic denial.
Fifteen years ago I expressed my opinion of them in
the following words : —
"The civilized native is self-respecting and self-restrained
to a remarkable degree. He is patient under misfortune, and
forbearing under provocation. While it is stretching the truth
to say that he never reveals anger, he certainly succeeds much
better in controlling himself than does the average European.
When he does give way to passion, however, he is as likely as
not to become for the moment a maniac, and to do some one a
fatal injury.
> Blount, p. 543. 2 Ibid., p. 573.
CORRIGENDA 639
"He is a kind father and a dutiful son. His aged relatives
are never left in want, but are brought to his home, and are
welcome to share the best that it affords to the end of their
"Among his fellows, he is genial and sociable. He loves to
sing, dance, and make merry He is a born musician, and
considering the sort of instruments at his disposal, and especially
the limited advantages which he has for perfecting himself in
their use, his performances on them are often very remarkable.
"He is naturally fearless, and admires nothing so much as
bravery in others. Under good officers he makes an excellent
soldier, and he is ready to fight to the death for his honour or his
home.
*******
"With all their amiable qualities it is not to be denied that
at present the civilized natives are utterly unfit for self-govern-
ment. Their universal lack of education is in itself a difficulty
that cannot be speedily overcome, and there is much truth in
the statement of a priest who said of them that 'm many things
they are big children who must be treated like little ones.
"Not having the gift of prophecy, I cannot say how far or
how fast they might advance, under more favourable circum-
stances than those which have thus far surrounded them.
They are naturally law-abiding and peace-loving, and would,
I believe, appreciate and profit by just treatment.
"In the four months which separate May 1, 1898, from the
day when the manuscript for this volume leaves my hands,
important events have crowded on each other's heels as never
before in the history of the Archipelago. Whatever may be the
immediate outcome, it is safe to say that, having learned some-
thing of his power, the civilized native will now be likely to
take a hand in shaping his own future. I trust that opportuni-
ties which he has never enjoyed may be given to him. it not,
may he win them for himself." '
This opinion, which I trust will not be considered
unkindly, has not been modified in its essentials as a
result of many additional years of life in the Philippines.
I have unexpectedly had a hand in giving to the Fili-
pinos opportunities which they had never before enjoyed.
1 "The PhiUppine Islands and Their People," by Dean C. Worces-
ter, p. 480.
640 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
I drafted the act under which the municipalities of these
islands to-day govern themselves ; the act creating the
College of Medicine and Surgery where young Filipino
men and women may receive the best of theoretical and
practical instruction ; the act creating in the Bureau of
Lands a school of surveying as a result of which the
present dearth of Filipino surveyors will soon end; the
provision of law creating and providing for the Philip-
pine Training School for Nm-ses, which is preparing hun-
dreds of young Filipino men and women to practise a
useful and noble profession. I drafted the legislation
which created a forest school, where many bright Fili-
pino lads are now being trained for the government
service. I drafted the provision of law which gives to
all FiUpinos the right to make personal use of timber
from the government forests without paying a cent
therefor, and the act which makes it possible for munici-
palities to have communal forests, reserved for the special
and exclusive benefit of their citizens.
I fought for eight years to get the money for the Phil-
ippine General Hospital, where nearly ninety thousand pa-
tients, the vast majority of whom are Filipinos, are treated
annually either in beds or at the several clinics ; I have
approved, and indeed compelled, the appointment of a
staff for that institution largely made up of Filipinos, and
I have steadily supported the Filipino members of that
staff when insulted or unjustly accused, as I regret to
say they sometimes have been, as a result of race preju-
dice with which I have no sympathy.
I am the official ultimately responsible for the establish-
ment and maintenance of a health system which indis-
putably saves the lives of hundreds of thousands of Fili-
pinos every year, and has practically rid their country of
smallpox, plague and cholera.
All of the employees of the Weather Bureau, which
comes under my executive control, are Filipinos.
I could name a score of other important measures, hav-
Typical Manobos.
CORRIGENDA 641
ing for their sole object the betterment of the condition
of the Filipinos, and extension to them of increased
opportimity to demonstrate their capacity, which I have
originated. I have never knowingly opposed a measure
which would produce this result.
I frankly admit that I have declined to approve the
appointment of a Filipino to any position under my
control simply because he was a FiUpino. I have insisted
that appointees have higher and better reasons to claim
consideration, among which may be mentioned decent
character and ability to do the work of the positions to
be filled. No living man entertains more genuinely
kindly feelings toward the peoples of these islands,
Christian and non-Christian, than do I. .\n allegation
that I hate the Filipinos comes with especially bad taste
from a man who himself never ceased to criticise them,
and to denoimce them as utterly incompetent and worth-
less throughout his Philippine career, but who finally
experienced an eleventh-hour conversion on the eve of
a presidential election which was likelj' to bring into
power another pohtical party.
Blount has worked out a theory, peculiarly his own,
to the effect that the non-Christian peoples have been
set aside as a field for purely Protestant missionary
activities, and that I am a party to this scheme. In
this connection he says : —
"It seems that the Catholic and Protestant ecclesiastical
authorities in the Islands get along harmoniously, a kind of
modus Vivendi having been arranged between them, by which
the Protestants are not to do anj^ proselyting among the seven
millions of Catholic Christians. So this field of endeavour is
the one Professor Worcester has been industriously preparing
during the last twelve years. '
"Obviously, every time Professor Worcester digs up a new
non-Christian tribe he increases the prospective harvest of the
Protestants, thus corralling more missionary votes at home for
permanent retention of the Philippines.^
' Blount, p. 580. ' Blount, p. 581.
642 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
"But neither Bishop Brent nor any one else can persuade
him 1 that it is wise to abandon the principle that Church and
State should be separate, in order that our government may
go into the missionary business. Since it has become apparent
that the Philippines will not pay, the Administration has relied
solely on missionary sentiments. . . .
"The foregoing reflections are not intended to raise an issue
as to the wisdom of foreign missions. They are simply intended
to illustrate how it is possible and natural for President Taft
to consider Professor Worcester 'the most vauable man we
have on the Philippine Commission.' The Professor's mena-
gerie is a vote-getter." ^
The first passage quoted has the merit of being ingen-
ious, and embodies a half truth. Bishop Brent deems it
inadvisable to try to proselytize Cathohc Christians, and
outside of Manila his co-workers confine their efforts to
the conversion of persons other than Filipinos. They
conduct missions for non-Christians at Sagada and Bontoc
in Bontoc, at Baguio in Benguet, and at Zamboanga in
the Moro Province.
In Manila they conduct a mission for Filipinos in con-
nection virith a hospital vsrhich does most valuable work,
but they mean to leave Catholic Filipinos alone.
The Catholics recognize no corresponding limitations.
They conduct missions for the Benguet-Lepanto Igorots
at Baguio, Itogon, Kabayan, Cervantes and elsewhere;
for the Bontoc Igorots at Banco and Bontoc and for the
Ifugaos at Quiangan.
The other Protestant denominations ha\'ing missions in
the Philippines work chiefly among the Catholics.
I have absolutely no connection with any such enter-
prises except that I have helped to make them possible in
the wild man's territory by the establishment of law and
order there, and have sometimes made both Catholic and
Protestant missionaries my agents for administering simple
remedies to sick persons who might otherwise have
perished miserably.
' Blount. s Ibid., pp. 581-582.
CORRIGENDA 643
To this extent, and to this extent only, has our govern-
ment gone into the missionary business.
I am proud to count Bishop Brent and Archbishop
Harty among my personal friends. I am in complete
sympathy with the purposes which actuate both of them
in prosecuting Christian missions. I have sometimes
disapproved, personally, of methods employed by their
subordinates in this work, and have felt free to tell them so !
Blount complains bitterly over the exhibition of mem-
bers of non-Christian tribes at the Louisiana Purchase
Exposition. For a wonder he admits that Tagdlog and
Visayan Filipinos were also exhibited. He fails to record
the fact that a conmiission of highly educated and cul-
tured Filipino men and women were sent to the exposition
and travelled quite widely in the United States, so that
they were seen, and heard of, by great numbers of people
who never visited St. Louis at all. Of the exhibition of
wild men, he says : —
"I think no deeper wound was ever inflicted upon the pride
of the real Filipino people than that caused by this exhibition,
the knowledge of which seems to have spread throughout the
islands." '
And he rather ingeniously gives it to be understood that I
was responsible for this exhibition, although he carefully
avoids stating that this was the case.
I am quite as strongly opposed to the exhibition of
members of the Pliilippine non-Christian tribes as is
Blount himself, but for very different reasons hereinafter
set forth. As such peoples constitute an eighth of the
population of the Islands, I also object to the attempt of
certain Filipino politicians to conceal the fact of their
existence, and to the efforts of certain misguided Ameri-
cans to minimize the importance of the problems which
their existence presents. Let us look the facts in the
face. The Moros are as "real" as the Tagalogs.
' Blount, p. 576.
644 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
The average Filipino does not object in the least to
the exliibition of wild people. On the contrary, he is
just as much interested in them as is the average Ameri-
can, and goes to see them whenever the opportunity offers.
It is only the FiUpino pohtician who pretends to see any
actual immodesty in scanty costumes worn with the
innocence with which Adam and Eve were endowed be-
fore the fall. The truth is that the politician himself
does not really object to this semi-nudity, to which he is
already sufficiently accustomed among his own people
in his own native town, but he plays it up for political
effect.
The pedigree of the average Filipino poUtician very
frequently runs back to white or Chinese ancestors on the
father's side. In his heart of hearts he resents his Malay
blood, and he particularly objects to anything which re-
minds him of the truth as to the stage of civilization
which had been attained by his Malay ancestors a few
centuries ago.
If he be a member of the Philippine Assembly, he fur-
ther and bitterly resents his lack of authority to legislate
for the Moros and other non-Christian tribes, and is ever
ready to support his frequently reiterated demand for
such authority by arguing the unimportance of these
peoples, and that of the problems which their existence
presents. Up to the time when the assembly was estab-
Hshed and was denied the power to legislate for the non-
Christians, mjr occasional illustrated lectures on the wild
peoples, given at Manila, were very hberally attended
by Filipinos, not a few of whom I am glad to say still
continue to patronize them when occasion offers.
My own attitude toward the exhibition of non-Chris-
tians, and my reasons therefor, are set forth in the fol-
lowing official correspondence, with which I will dismiss
this phase of the subject : —
CORRIGENDA 645
(Telegram.)
"Pack* Bontoc, Manila, Dec. 4, 1909.
" Schneiderwind is back wdth his Igorots some of whom have
as much as two thousand pesos due them. Am trying to
arrange to have this money put in postal savings bank to
protect them from themselves. Schneiderwind is after another
party of wild people to take to Europe. Has asked about
Ifugaos and Apayaos. Have told him strongly opposed to
taking these people to other countries for exhibition purposes
and will place all possible obstacles in his way if he attempts
to do so. If after this warning he enters Mountain province
to secure people for exhibition purposes give him no assistance
but use every legitimate means to prevent his getting them.
Give proper and seasonable instructions to your subordinates.
" WORCESTEB."
On April 22, 1910, in returning to the Governor-General
a petition dealing with the exhibition of wild people
I placed upon it this indorsement : —
" Respectfully returned to the Honourable, the Governor-
General.
" The undersigned is strongly opposed to the sending of mem-
bers of wild tribes to the United States or to other civilized
countries for exhibition purposes. Apart from all other con-
siderations experience shows that the men and women thus
taken away from their natural surroundings are apt to be pretty
thoroughly spoiled and to be trouble makers after their return.
"The undersigned has recently informed Mr. R. Schneider-
wind that he would, if necessary, do everything in his power to
prevent the latter gentleman from taking another set of Igorots
away from the Philippines for exhibition purposes. This, too,
in spite of the fact that Mr. Schneiderwind has apparently
been very considerate in his treatment of the Igorots whom he
has taken to the United States for exhibition purposes.
" The undersigned would assume the same attitude toward
any other person endeavouring to obtain Igorots for exhibition
purposes."
The advocates of the "united people"' theory for these
islands are forced to insist on the unimportance of the
non-Christian tribes and it is needless to say that Blount
' William P. Pack, governor of the Mountain Province.
VOL. II — L
646
THE PHIXIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
does this. His contentions on the subject are rather con-
cisely stated in the following passage : —
"You see our Census of 1903 gave the population of the
Philippines at about 7,600,000 of which 7,000,000 are put down
as civilized Christians; and of the remaining 600,000 about
half are the savage, or semi-civilized, crudely Mohammedan
Moros, in Mindanao, and the adjacent islets down near Borneo.
The other 300,000 or so uncivilized people scattered throughout
the rest of the archipelago, the 'non-Christian tribes,' which
dwell in the mountain fastnesses, remote from 'the madding
crowd,' cut little more figure, if any, in the general political
equation, than the American Indian does with us to-day." '
If there were ten million American Indians who were
in undisputed occupation of half the territory of the
United States, this statement might in a way approxi-
mate the truth. Blount's ten-year-old population fig-
ures are a trifle out of date, but before demonstrating
this I wish to show certain peculiarities in his method of
manipulating them. He says : —
"That the existence of these wild tribes — the dog-eating
Igorrotes and other savages you saw exhibited at the St. Louis
Exposition of 1903-4 — constitutes infinitely less reason for
withholding independence from the Filipinos than the Ameri-
can Indian constituted in 1776 for withholding independence
from us, will be sufficiently apparent from a glance at the
following table, taken from the American Census of the Islands
of 1903 (vol. ii., p. 123): —
Island
Luz6n . . . .
Panay . . . .
Cebu . . . .
Bohol . . . .
Negros . . . .
Leyte . . . .
Samar . . . .
Mindanao . . .
Civilized
Wild
Total
3,575,001
223,506
3,798,507
728,713
14,933
743,646
592,247
592,247
243,148
243,148
439,559
21,217
460,776
357,641
357,641
222,002
688
222,690
246,694
252,940
499,634
"I think the above table makes clear the enormity of the
injustice I am now trying to crucify. Without stopping to use
> Blount, p. 577.
CORRIGENDA
647
your pencil, you can see that Mindanao, the island where the
'intractable Mores' Governor Forbes speaks of live, contains
about a half million people. Half of these are civilized Chris-
tians, and the other half are the ^vild, crudely Mohammedan
Moro tribes. Above Mindanao on the above list, you behold
what practically is the Philippine archipelago (except ]\Iin-
danao), viz. Luzon and the six main Visayan Islands. If
you will turn back to pages 22.5 et seq., especially to page 228,
where the student of world politics was furnished with all he
needs or will ever care to know about the geography of the
Philippine Islands you will there find all the rocks sticking out
of the water and all the little daubs you see on the map elimi-
nated from the equation as wholly unessential to a clear under-
standing of the problem of governing the Islands. That pro-
cess of elimination left us Luzon and the six main Visayan
Islands above as constituting, for all practical governmental
purposes all the Philippine archipelago except the Moro coimtry
Mindanao {i.e. parts of it), and its adjacent islets. Luzon
and the Visayan Islands contain nearly 7,000,000 of people,
and of these the mid tribes, as you can see by a glance at the
above table constitute less than 300,000, sprinkled in the
pockets of their various mountain regions. Nearlj' all these
300,000 are quite tame, peaceable and tractable, except, as
Governor Forbes suggests, they 'might possibly mistake the
object of a visit.'" '
This is all very well unless you take the Judge at his
word and turn to the page of the census report referred
to, but if you do this a rude shock awaits you, for instead
of the table above quoted the following is the table which
you will find : —
Table 1. — Total Population, Classified as Civilized and Wild,
BY Provinces and Comandancias.
ProVINCB OB COMANDANCIA
Philippine Islands
Abra ....
Albay . . .
Ambos Camarines
Antique . . .
Basilan . . .
Total
PoptJLATION
CUHLIZED
Wild
7,635,426
51,860
240,326
239,405
134,166
30,179
6,987,686
87,823
239,434
233,472
131,245
1,331
647,740
14,037
892
5,933
2,921
28,848
1 Blount, pp. 567-568.
648
THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
Table 1. — Continued
PbOVINCE or COMANCANCIA
Batadn . . . ,
Batangas . . . .
Benguet . . . ,
Bohol
Bulacdn . . . .
Cagaydn . . . .
Cdpiz . . . . ,
Cavite . . . ,
Cebii
Cottabato . .
Dapitan ...
Ddvao . . . ,
Docos Norte
Docos Sur . .
IloQo ....
Isabela ...
Jolo ....
La Laguna . .
La Union . . .
Lepanto-Bontoc
Leyte . . .
Manila City . .
Marinduque ' .
Masbate . . .
Mindoro . . .
Misamis . . .
Negros Occidental
Negros Oriental
Nueva Ecija . .
Nueva Vizcaj-a .
Pampanga . .
PangasLndn . .
Paragua . . .
Paragua Sur . .
Rizal ....
Romblou . . .
Samar . . .
Siassi ....
Sorsogon . . .
Surigao . . .
Tarlac ....
Tawi Tawi . .
Tayabas ^ . . .
Zambales . . .
Zamboanga . .
Total
Population
Civilized
Wild
46,787
45,166
1,621
257,715
257,715
22,745
917
21,828
269,223
269,223
223,742
223,327
415
156,239
142,825
13,414
230,721
225,092
5,629
134,779
134,779
653,727
653,727
125,875
2,313
123,562
23,577
17,154
6,423
65,496
20,224
45,272
178,995
176,785
2,210
187,411
173,800
13,611
410,315
403,932
6,383
76,431
68,793
7,638
51,389
1,270
50,119
148,606
148,606
137,839
127,789
10,050
72,750
2,467
70,283
388,922
388,922
219,928
219,928
51,674
51,674
43,675
43,675
39,582
32,318
7,264
175,683
135,473
40,210
308,272
303,660
4,612
201,494
184,889
16,605
134,147
132,999
1,148
62,541
16,026
46,515
223,754
222,656
1,098
397,902
394,516
3,386
29,351
27,493
1,858
6,345
1,359
4,986
150,923
148,502
2,421
52,848
52,848
266,237
265,549
688
24,562
2 97
24,265
120,495
120,454
41
115,112
99,298
15,814
135,107
133,513
1,594
14,638
93
14,545
153,065
150,262
2,803
104,549
101,381
3,168
44,322
20,692
23,630
• Sub-province of Tayabas. ^ Exclusive of sub-province of Marinduque.
CORRIGENDA 649
From this it will be apparent to the reader that the
Judge takes some rather unusual liberties even with such
information as was available nine years before he finished
his book. I have quoted the actual table in full, as it is
useful for reference.
In the middle of the page referred to by Blount there
begins another table showing "Total Population, Clas-
sified as Civilized and Wild, by Islands." This table
occupies four and one-half sohd pages, and therefore
does not closely resemble the one foisted on the public
by him.
It includes 323 islands, from which the Judge has
selected eight which happened to suit his pm-pose, giving
it to be clearly understood that the islands which he has
not included are "rocks sticking out of the water" and
"little daubs you see on the map " "eliminated from the
equation as wholly unessential to a clear understanding
of the problem of governing the Islands."
Among the "rocks" and "little daubs" thus eliminated
are Mindoro with an area of thirty-eight hundred fifty-one
square miles, and Palawan with an area of four thousand
twenty-seven square miles. Of the islands included,
Leyte has twenty-seven hundred twenty-two square miles ;
Cebu, seventeen hundred sixty- two square miles ; and
Bohol, fourteen hundred eleven square miles. Inciden-
tally, neither Leyte, Cebu nor Bohol have any non-
Christian inhabitants at all, while all of Mindoro and
Palawan, with the exception of narrow broken strips
along the coast are populated by wild people, hence it is
convenient for him to ignore them.
In spite of his suggestion that it is not necessary to
use the pencil in connection with his table, I ven-
tured to do so, in connection with his statement that
"Luzon and the Visayan Islands contain nearly 7,000,000
of people." On his own showmg they contain 6,158,31L
And now for the real facts. At the time the census
enumeration was made Apayao had been crossed by a
650 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
white man only once and that more than a hundred years
ago. Extensive portions of Ifugao and Bontoc, and the
greater part of Kalinga, were unexplored, as were the
interior of Mindoro and most of the interior of Palawan,
to say nothing of immense regions in Mindanao. As a
matter of fact, we do not to-day know with any accuracy
the number of Mangyans in Mindoro, nor the number of
Tagbanuas in Palawan, but it has been conclusively
demonstrated that the latter were greatly vmderestimated
by the census enumerators. There will be found in
the appendix ' a table giving in detail the present ac-
cepted estimate of the non-Christian population of the
islands, which numbers at least a million seventy thou-
sand.
It is reasonably certain that the necessary corrections
in the figures for several provinces for which the present
estimates are admittedly too low will raise the total
slightly.
Blount has made a further statement relative to the
non-Christian population of Luzon which is indeed
extraordinary. He says : —
"Of the 7,600,000 people of the Philippines almost exactly
one-half, i.e. 3,800,000, live on Luzon, and these are practically
all civilized." ■
The table on the opposite page, giving the census es-
timate of the non-Christian population of Luzon and
the present accepted estimate, shows how erroneous is
this statement.
It will be seen that the census estimate of non-Christian
inhabitants in the province of Luzon was 224,106 and the
present accepted estimate is 440,926.
In explanation of his extraordinary statement that prac-
tically all of the people of Luzon are civiUzed Blount has
inserted the following foot-note : —
iPage 999. ^ Blount, pp. 231-232.
An Old Bukidnon Chief.
He is wearing the head-dress of scarlet and gold which may be donned only by
those who have killed many eneniies.
CORRIGENDA
651
"223,506 is the total of the uncivilized tribes still extant in
Luzon, Philippine Census, vol. ii., p. 125, but they live in the
mountains, and you might live in the Philippines a long hfe-
time without ever seeing a sample of them, unless you happen
to be an energetic ethnologist fond of mountain climbing." '
Pbovincb ok Subprovince
Abra ....
Albay ....
Amburayan . .
Ambos Camarincs
Apayao . . .
Bataan . . .
Batangas . . .
Benguet . . .
Bontoe . . .
Bulacan . . .
Cagayan . . .
Cavite ....
IIocos Norte . .
Ilocos Sur . . .
Ifugao ....
Isabela . . .
Kalinga . . .
La Laguna . .
La Union . . .
Lepanto . . .
Lepanto Bontoe
Nueva Ecija . .
Nueva Vizcaya .
Pampanga . . .
Pangasinilii . .
Rizal ....
Sorsogon . . .
Tarlac ....
Tayabas . . .
Zambales . . .
Total . . .
Census Estimate
14,037
892
5,933
1,621
000
21,828
415
13,414
000
2,210
13,611
7,638
000
10,050
70,283
1,148
46,515
1,098
3,386
2,421
41
1,594
2,803
3,168
224,106
Present Accepted
Estimate
14,037
892
10,191
5,933
23,000
1,621
000
28,449
62,000
415
15,000
000
2,210
13,611
125,000
(?)
76,000
(?)
000
31,194
000
862
6,000
1,098
3,386
2,421
41
1,594
2,803
3,168
440,926
Also you might live in the Philippines a long lifetime
and never see anything but wild people. The question of
1 Blount, p. 232.
652 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
where they live is not intimately connected with that of
their number, which is the point under discussion.
Blount devotes considerable space to alleged newspaper
accounts of "a speech " said by him to have been deUvered
by me in the Y. M. C. A. auditorium at Manila. I
deUvered two illustrated lectures there, entitled respec-
tively "The Non-Christian Tribes of the Philippines,"
and "What has been done for the Non-Christian Tribes
under American Rule."
In the course of the latter discourse I made the point
that Filipinos who claim that conquest confers no right of
sovereignty are hoist with their own petard, for the simple
but sufficient reason that the Negritos were the aborigines
of the Philippines and were later conquered and driven out
of the lowland country into inaccessible, forested mountain
regions by the Malay invaders who were the ancestors
of the present Filipino claimants not only to the territory
thus conquered, but to territory wliich was held up to the
time of the American occupation by wild tribes whom they
now propose to conquer and rule if given the opportunity !
My shaft struck home and called forth a howl of rage
from the pohticians, which was the louder because I
further expressed with entire frankness my firm belief
that the FiUpinos were unfit to govern the non-Christian
tribes, whether or not they were fit to govern themselves.
In the course of further reference to the above-mentioned
lecture, Blount says : —
"Another of the Manila papers gives an account of the speech,
from which it appears that the burly Professor succeeded in
amusing himself at least, if not his audience, by suggestions
as to the superior fighting qualities of the Moros over the
Filipinos, which suggestions were on the idea that the Moros
would lick the Filipinos if we should leave the country. (The
Moros number 300,000, the Filipinos nearly 7,000,000.) The
Professor's remarks in this regard, according to the paper, were
a distinct reflection upon the courage of the Filipinos generally
as a people." '
■ Blount, pp. 583-584.
CORRIGENDA 653
Here, as is so often the case, he finds newspaper state-
ments more suited to his purpose than cold facts. I jdeld
to no one in my admiration for the courage of Fihpinos,
and have expressed it on a score of occasions. In mj^ first
book on the Philippines I made the following reference
to it : —
"I once saw a man in Culion who was seamed and gashed
with horrible scars from head to foot. How any one could
possibly survive such injuries as he had received I do not know.
It seemed that his wife and children had been butchered by four
Moros while he was absent. He returned just as the murderers
were taking to their boat. Snatching a machete, he plunged
into the water after them, clambered into their prau, and killed
them all. ^\^len one remembers the sort of weapons that
Moros carry, the thing seems incredible, but a whole village
full of people vouched for the truth of the story." '
This was not the only tribute which I paid to the
courage of the Filipinos^ and I have never made a state-
ment intended to reflect on it in the slightest degree.
It is true that their fighting ability is on the average far
below that of the Moros, and I may add that the same
thing holds for Americans on the average.
It is really funny to see how Blount sometimes tells the
truth in spite of himself. He takes me to task for amusing
myself "by suggestions as to the superior fighting quafities
of the Moros over the Filipinos," and here is what he
says on the same subject : —
"Again, because the Filipinos have no moral right to control
the Moros, and could not if thej^ would, the latter being fierce
fighters and bitterly opposed to the thought of possible ultimate
domination bj' the Filipinos, the most uncompromising advocate
of the consent-of-the-governed principle has not a leg to stand
on with regard to Mohammedan Mindanao." ^
" Consistency, thy name is not Blount ! "
' The Philippine Islands and Their People, by Dean C. Worcester,
p. 481.
2 See p. 639.
' Blount, p. 230.
654 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
The Moros are religious fanatics. I have known one
when bayoneted to seize the barrel of the gun and push the
bayonet thi'ough himself in order to bring the man at the
other end within striking distance, cut him down, unclasp
the bayonet and, leaving it in the wound to prevent
hemorrhage, go on fighting. I have knowTi two Moros
armed with bamboo lances to attack a column of two
thousand soldiers armed with rifles. It is an historic fact
that Moro juramentados ' once attempted to rush the
walls of Jolo and kept up the fruitless effort until they
blocked -nath their dead bodies the rifle shts, so that it
became necessary for the Spanish soldiers to take positions
on top of the walls in order to fire. I have known a Moro,
shot repeatedly through the body and with both legs
broken, to take his kriss in his teeth and pull himself for-
ward with liis hands in the hope of getting near enough to
strike one more blow for the Prophet.
The Fihpinos are afraid of the Moros and they have the
best of reasons to be. The relative numerical insignificance
of this Uttle Mohammedan tribe of desperate fighters has
httle to do with the question under consideration. Their
number has for centuries borne substantially the same
proportion to the total population of the Pliilippines which
it now bears, yet no one can deny that it is but a short
time since they harried the archipelago from south to
north and from east to west. The shores of Northern
Luzon and the neighbouring islands are to-day dotted with
the forts which were built for defence against them. The
town of PoUllo, on the northernmost island off the east
coast of Luzon, is still surrounded by a high wall built to
protect its inhabitants from the Moros. The churches
at Cuyo, Agutaya, Culion, Linapacan and Taytay stand
inside of strong stone fortresses in which the people took
refuge when the Moros descended on their towns. Back
of Bacuit a cave high up in a cliff was kept provisioned that
it might serve a similar purpose. Not only were the
' Men who have taken a solemn oath to die killing Christians.
CORRIGENDA 655
Filipinos unable to protect themselves against these
bloodthirsty pirates of the south, but the Spaniards
were for nearly two and a half centuries unable to af-
ford them adequate protection. WTien I was in Tawi
Tawd in 1891 the Moros of that island were stiU ac-
tively engaged in taking Filipino slaves and selling them
in Borneo.
With all of our resources we have not as yet been able
to estabUsh a decent state of pubhc order in the little
island of Jolo. No serious minded person, familiar with
the facts, with whom I have ever talked, believes for a
moment that the FiUpinos could establish an effective
government over the Moros, or could keep them at home.
They are wonderful boatmen and when once at sea in the
httle crafts of their o^m building are liable to strike the
coast of the Philippine Islands at any point. When it is
remembered that this coast is longer than that of the con-
tinental United States, the impossibiUty of adequately
protecting the whole of it becomes immediately manifest.
It would be always possible, under Fihpino rule, for the
]\Ioros to strike defenceless towns, and where they struck
the only resource of the inhabitants, whether Filipinos,
Europeans or Americans, would be in speedy flight. It
should be borne in mind that one INIohammedan who is
earnestly desirous of being killed while fighting Christians
can chase a good inany unarmed citizens into the tall
timber, brave though they may be !
I ventm-e here once more to express the deUberate
opinion that if American control were wdthdrawm from
these islands and some other civihzed nation did not
interfere to restore a decent state of pubhc order, the
Moros would resume the conquest of the Phihppines
which they were so actively and effectively pushing when
the Spaniards compelled them to abandon it, and would
slowly but none the less surely carry it through to a suc-
cessful termination.
The inaccuracy of Blount's statements regarding matters
656 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
covered by absolutely conclusive documentary evidence
is well typified by the following : —
"The Philippine Assembly, representing the whole Filipino
people, and desiring to express the unanimous feeling of those
people with regard to the Worcester speech, unanimously
passed, soon after the speech was delivered, a set of resolutions
whereof the following is a translation." '
The resolution which he quotes was never passed by the
Assembly which on February 3, 1911, four months after
my Y. M. C. A. lecture,^ and while I was absent in the
United States, passed another and quite different one
criticizing language "ascribed" to me, without ever mak-
ing any effort to ascertain from me what was really said.
I might quote the two in parallel columns, but I grow
weary of showing the details of Blount's false or mistaken
statements, and refer those interested to the official
records which he perhaps did not take the precaution to
consult.
I gave the Assembly and every one else interested in the
matter a chance to attack me by incoiporating in my an-
nual report for 1910 every important statement made at
the lecture in question and by adding various new ones for
good measure, but there was no response ! It is a time-
honoured procedure, but one of somewhat doubtful real
value, to build up a man of straw in order to have the
pleasure of tearing it to pieces. I must decline to assume
responsibility for statements which I did not make.
Blount says he thinks that Nueva Vizcaya is my
" ' brag ' province, in the matter of non-Christian anthropolog-
ical specimens, both regarding their number and their variety." ^
With regret I must call attention to the fact that he
thinks wrong. In Nueva Vizcaya as originally consti-
tuted there were representatives of three non-Christian
tribes, to wit, the Ifugaos, numbering approximately
» Blount, p. 584. 2 Delivered October 10, 1910. ' Blount, p. 577.
Typical .Street in a Filipino Tuwn.
Contrast the neglect here shown, with the care given the village streets in
Bukidnon. yet the Filipinos desire to govern the Bukiduons.
A Typical Bukidnon Village Street.
CORRIGENDA 657
a hundred and fifteen thousand ; the Ilongots numbering
perhaps five thousand ; and the Isinayes, who were numer-
ically unimportant.
Years before Blount wrote his book the number of wild
tribes was reduced to two and that of their individuals to
approximately seven thousand by changes in the provincial
boundary. As we have seen, there are slightly more
than one milUon non-Christian inhabitants in the archi-
pelago. These facts are of interest cliiefly for the reason
that they show how grossly unreliable are his statements.
Finally he seeks to convey the impression that the hill
people are a rather harmless and lamb-like lot. He says : — •
"... while I was there,' though we knew those people
were up in the hills, and that there were a good many of them
the civilized people all told us that the hill tribes never bothered
them. And on their advice I have ridden in safety, unarmed,
at night, accompanied only by the court stenographer, over the
main high-road running through the central j)lateau that con-
stitutes the bulk of Nueva Vizcaj'a province, saitl plateau being
surrounded by a great amphitheatre of hills, the habitat of the
Worcester pets." ^
Had Blount taken this ride before the time when the
American government established control ov-er the Silipan
Ifugaos there might have been a different story to tell
needing some one else to tell it, for the Ifugaos were not
by any means the gentle and harmless people that one
would infer them to have been from reading the above-
quoted statement.
At Payauan, a strongly held point within the plateau
referred to, they annihilated a Spanish garrison. At
Aua, further back in the hills, they did the same thing.
The Spaniards never established control over the Ifugao
country, into extensive portions of which they never
even temporarily penetrated. On the main trail which
connected the town of Bagabag, in Nueva Vizcaya
with the nearest town in the province of Isabela,
* In Nueva Vizcaya. ' Blount, p. 577.
658 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
over which Blount rode, the Spaniards found it neces-
sary to maintain two garrisons. There were also gar-
risons at the terminal towns on this trail and it was
prohibited to travel it without miUtary escort. Even
so, parties were repeatedlj^ cut up by the Silipan Ifugaos,
and the very soldiers who constituted their guard were
again and again caught sleeping and butchered.
It is only very recently that the murderous raids of wild
men on the Filipinos of Isabela have been finally checked.
Many a time have the FUipinos of Bagabag, in Nueva
Vizcaj^a, thanked me for making their lives and property
safe by quieting the Ifugaos. Ilongots killed Filipinos
in the outskirts of Bayombong, the capital of Nueva
Vizcaya, long after Blount left the province, and during
a period shortly preceding his arrival conditions were very
bad throughout the Cagayan vallej^
On August 29, 1899, the Insurgent governor of Nueva
Vizcaj'a reported ^ that he had only a few rifles, that the
"Igorrotes" were preparing to attack the towns, and that
he had been forced to kill and wound a number of them.
On September 6, General Tirona in Cagayan asked that
General Tinio be ordered to give him some of his rifles
to protect the people, as the "Igorrotes" were cutting off
heads and the towns were in danger. Tirona said that he
had nine hundred rifles ; Tinio thought that he himself
had some two thousand and could spare two hundred as the
conditions along the coast were not as serious as the con-
ditions inland with the savages preparing to attack.^
In Jul}', 1899, the governor of Benguet asked that orders
should be given prohibiting "Igorrotes" from leaving
their own towns as they were growing restless and would
probably soon become dangerous. The Benguet people
are the most pacific of all the hill men.
In October, 1899, the Ilocanos of Lepanto petitioned
Aguinaldo to send them arms with which to defend them-
selves against the people of the hills, who objected to
' P. I. R., 150. 4. » Ibid.
CORRIGENDA 659
being forced into paying what the governor of Benguet
Province called "voluntary contributions" for the support
of the war. WTien an attempt was made to collect,
they abandoned their towns and took refuge in the hills.
Next to the Benguet Igorots, those of Lepanto have the
best reputation for quiet and orderliness.
From Simeon Villa's diary, heretofore referred to, we
learn that Aguinaldo's armed escort was attacked again
and again by Ifugaos, Kalingas and Bontoc Igorots when
he passed through their country.
The people of these three tribes, and the Ilongots, and
the wild Tingians of Apayao, were fierce, war-hke, unsub-
dued head-hunting savages at the time of the American
occupation.
Friendly as is our present relationship with the foi-mer
head-hunters of Luzon, and excellent as is now the condi-
tion of public order in their territory, we still often have
the fact brought home to us that the blood-lust of these
sturdy and brave fighters is only dormant. A steady hand
must be held on them for many a year to come.
The problems which the primitive peoples of the PhiUp-
pines present are neither few nor simple. We shall not
get far by ignormg them or misrepresenting them. Let
us look them squarely in the face.
CHAPTER XXIV
Non-Christian Tribe Problems
And now let us try to gain a clear appreciation of some
of the problems actually presented by the existence of
the non-Christian peoples of the Philippines.
They belong to twenty-seven tribes at the most. Prob-
ably this number will ultimately be somewhat further
reduced. The number of dialects spoken is greatly
in excess of the number of tribes, as the people of a single
tribe sometimes speak three or four well-marked dialects.
The tribes are divided between two wholly distinct
races, to wit, Negritos and Malays.
The Negritos are of very low mentality and are in-
capable of any considerable degree of civilization. Many
of them are kept in a state of abject peonage, and not a
few are held in actual slavery, by their Christian Filipino
neighbours. In revenge for the abuses which they suffer
they are prone to commit criminal acts, and the problem
which they present resolves itself into protecting them
from their neighbours and their neighbours from them.
The latter thing would be easy enough if the former were
practicable, but unfortunately their neighbours cannot
be persuaded to let them alone, and never do it except
under compulsion.
The people of all the Malay non-Cliristian tribes, with
the exception of certain Negrito mestizos, are undoubtedly
capable of attaining to a fairly high degree of civilization.
Physically and, in my opinion, mentally the people of
several of the hill tribes are decidedly superior to their low-
land Filipino neighbours, who have degenerated to some
extent as a result of less favourable climatic conditions
and other causes.
660
NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBE PROBLEMS 661
In social development these Malay tribes vary from the
semi-nomadic Mangyans of Mindoro to the highly civil-
ized Tingians of Abra, who are in many ways superior to
the Ilocanos with whom they hve in close contact. Some
of these tribes, hke the Benguet-Lepanto Igorots and the
Tingians, are peaceful agriculturists ; others, hke the wild
Tingians of Apayao, the Kahngas, the Bontoc Igorots,
the Ifugaos, the Ilongots, the Manobos and the Mandayas,
are, or recently have been, fierce fighters prone to indulge
in such customs as the taking of human heads for war
trophies, or even the making of human sacrifices to appease
their heathen divinities.
The Moros, who are numerically stronger than are the
people of any other one tribe, stand in a class by them-
selves on account of their strong adherence to the Moham-
medan faith and their inclination to propagate it by the
sword. Who would hold them in check if the Americans
were to go? Certainly not the Filipinos. They have
never been able to do it in the past, and they cannot
do it now.
All the non-Christian tribes have two things in common,
their unwilhngness to accept the Christian faith and their
hatred of the several Filipino peoples who profess it. Their
animosity is readily understood when it is remembered
that their ancestors and they themselves have suffered
grievous wrongs at the hands of the Filipinos. In spite of
all protestations to the contrary, the Fihpinos are ab-
solutely without sympathy for the non-Christian peoples,
and have never voluntarily done anything for them, but
on the contrary have shamelessly exploited them whenever
opportunity has offered. They have never of themselves
originated one single important measure for the benefit
of their non-Christian neighbours, and their attitude
toward the measures which have been originated by
Americans has always been one of active or passive oppo-
sition. Their real belief as to what should be done with
the wild people is that they should be used if they can be
VOL. II — M
662 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
made useful, but should be exterminated if they become
troublesome. Governor Pablo Guzman, of Cagayan,
actually said to me that the best thing to do with the wild
people of Apayao, then supposed to number fifty-three
thousand, might be to kill them aU.
Americans have adopted a firm but kindly policy in
dealing with the non-Christian tribes and have met with
extraordinary success in winning their good-will and
weaning them from the worst of their evil customs.
Even with those of the Moros who live outside of the island
of Jol6 considerable progress has been made. Head-
hunting has been abohshed among the Ifugaos, Igorots
and KaUngas with an ease which was wholly unantici-
pated.
In all work for the wild people the attitude of governors
and heutenant-governors has proved to be a matter of
fundamental importance. The problem in each province
or subpro\'ince has been a one-man problem. He who
would succeed in handhng wild men must be absolutely
fearless, for if he is not, thej' are quick to discover the fact
and to take advantage of it. He must protect his people
from injustice and oppression, or they will lose faith in
him. He must have a genuinely friendly feehng toward
them, and must bear them no ill will even when they
misbehave. They will not object to severe punishment
when they know that it is deserved, but after being
punished feel that the slate has been wiped clean, and
that they are making a fresh start. They believe in
letting by-gones be by-gones, and their officials should
meet them half way in this.
The following occurrence illustrates my point. Before
all the settlements of Ifugao had been brought under
control, Lieutenant-Governor Galhnan had a headman
acting as a pohceman, who rendered invaluable service
and was allowed to carry a gun. No one dreamed that
he would ever be molested. When on a trip to Lingay
he became overheated, and stopped to bathe in a stream,
NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBE PROBLEMS 663
leaving his gun on the bank. Some young men improved
the opportunity thus afforded to attack him. One of
them threw a lance into him, and then they all started to
run away. Such was his reputation and influence that he
succeeded in compeUing them to return and pull the lance
out, but he was fatally hurt and soon died.
After his death they took his head and his gun, and
immediately thereafter the Lingay people sent to
Gallman a challenge to come and fight them. He
promptly accepted their invitation, taking a few
Ifugao soldiers with him. He found the country de-
serted. Women, children, pigs and chickens had been
sent into the forested mountains. Roofs and board sides
of houses had been removed so that there remained only
the bare frameworks which could not readily be burned.
For some time Gallman encountered no opposition. He
at last grew careless and walked into an ambush. He" was
met with a volley of stones and a volley of lances. For-
tunately for him the stones arrived first and one of them,
striking him in the face, knocked him senseless. Another
injured his right hand and knocked his revolver from his
grasp. The lances passed over him as he fell. He slid
for some distance down the almost precipitous mountain
side, and his soldiers thought him dead. When he
recovered consciousness, he heard them talking close to
him. They agreed that they must do two things :
first, prevent his head from being taken ; and, second,
punish his assailants. Before he could call to them they
charged the latter and scattered them right and left.
Gallman staggered to his feet, hunted around until he
found his revolver, and rejoined his men. It was known
that their opponents had had ten guns before killing the
pohceman and taking his. There followed a marked
unpleasantness, at the end of which Gallman had the
eleven guns, and most of those who had been using them
had been gathered to their fathers. He then returned
to his station at Banaue.
664 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
Three days later the headmen of Lingay came walking
in, shook hands and announced that they had had enough.
Gallman asked them why they had been so foohsh. They
replied that as they already had ten guns, when they
got one more the young men became overconfident,
thought that they could whip the constabulary, get their
guns also and dominate all that part of Ifugao. The
old men said that they had warned the young fellows
that their plan would result in disaster, but as they were
not to be dissuaded, and as they were their young men,
had finally joined in. They said, however, that they were
glad things had come out as they had, for the young
men would now behave themselves, and it is worthy of
note that they have done so ever since.
Six weeks later, when I visited Banaue, the one survivor
of the eleven gunmen came in and danced with the other
Ifugaos on the plaza, apparently as happy as any of them.
How many Filipinos are there who have the courage, the
kindhness, the knowledge of primitive human nature
and the sympathy with it which would enable them to
treat the really wild barbarians as Gallman and Hale
have treated them ? Thus far I have found one, and one
only.
In a previous chapter^ I have told the story of a Kalinga
with whom I had just made friends according to the
formula of his tribe who put his Ufe in deadly peril twice
within the space of twenty-four hours in order to save
mine when it was gravely endangered by his fellow-tribes-
men. Is such real friendship possible between FiUpinos
and non-Christians? Not at present. A lot of ancient
history must first be Uved down.
In the Philippines it has invariably been true that
the wild man has in the past been more or less completely
despoiled of the fruits of his labour by his so-called ' ' Chris-
tian" neighbours whenever compelled to do business with
them in order to obtain some of the necessaries of life.
1 Page 542.
A Typical Improved Bckid.n-on House.
A Typicai, Neglected Filipino Hocse.
In the Biikidnon villages all the people now take j)ride in keeping their houses
in good repair. Houses like the one here shown are frequently seen in neigh-
boring Filipino towns.
NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBE PROBLEMS 665
He is accustomed to receive a mere pittance for his prod-
ucts, and to pay enormous prices when he makes pur-
chases. The opening of the so-called "government
exchanges," which are stores where the products of the
surrounding countrj' are purchased and where the things
required by the hill people are sold at a small margin of
profit, has proved very useful in the establishment of
friendly and helpful relations with them. In some places
they have been persuaded to grow new and more profit-
able crops. Some of the Benguet Igorots, for instance,
now raise strawberries for sale at Baguio, although a few
years ago they had never seen them.
If in control, would the FiUpinos reverse the policy
they have heretofore always followed in commercial
dealings with the wild men ? Most assuredly not.
The Igorots, Ifugaos and Kalingas are adepts in the use
of irrigation water, and know how to terrace the steepest
mountain sides so as to employ it advantageously wherever
it is available. The giving of help in running main irri-
gation ditches through rock has been especially appre-
ciated by them. The money which we expend for this
purpose goes for the establishment of proper grade lines,
the providing of necessary supervision and the purchase
of explosives and tools for rock work. The people con-
cerned are more than glad to contribute all necessary' la-
bour free of charge.
Would the FiUpinos continue to make funds available
for such improvements in the wild man's country ? A
thousand times no ! Before any one disputes me, let
him show one instance where they have done any such
thing in any one of the very numerous provinces where
the expenditure of funds for non-Christians is under their
control.
In dealing with tribes which have been accustomed to
hve by families, or small groups of families, and to select
veiy inaccessible places for their homes, it is of course
necessary to persuade them to hve in larger groups and
666 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
in reasonably accessible places before much progress can
be made toward improving their condition. This is
usually not a very difficult task if one goes about it in the
right way.
In Bukidnon, for instance, where we are still bringing
people down from the tree-tops, in which they and some of
their ancestors have Uved for centuries, and settling them
in well-ordered and beautifully kept villages, when new
arrivals come in to inspect the towns and interrogate me
as to the conditions under which they may take up resi-
dence there, I often have conversations Uke this : —
"What about this fife in town ?"
"Look around and see for yourself. Talli with the
people and hear what they have to say about it. They
will tell you whether they like it or not, and why."
"But what do I have to do if I wish to five in town ?"
"A piece of ground will be assigned to you and on it
you must build a decent house hke those you see. This
house is for you and your family, not for me. I come
here only once or twice a year and at the most stay over
one night, so I do not need your house. The lieutenant-
governor does not need it. When he comes he stays
at the presidencia. He will not let any one take it away
from you."
"Very well. What else?"
"You will have to build a good, tight fence around
the lot given you and keep your domestic animals inside
it. You must also clean it up thoroughly, removing all
vegetation and filhng all the low places so that water
cannot stand in them. Then you must keep it clean."
"What is the use of that?"
' ' The husaos ' who cause sickness do no like clean
places and stay away from them."
"I never heard of that."
"Ask the people who have tried keeping their yards
clean, and they will tell you that it is true."
> Evil spirits.
NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBE PROBLEMS 667
"Well, what else?"
"As long as you have to keep your yard clean you
might as well plant something useful in it, so that you
will get a good return for your laboui'."
"That is a good idea. Is there anything more ?"
"Yes. You must take up a piece of the beautiful
prairie land near town, build a fence around it to keep
out the wild hogs and deer, and plant it with rice, camotes
or something else that will give your family plenty of
food and if possible leave a surplus to sell, so that you can
buy better clothes with the money you make."
"But I cannot break this thick prairie sod."
"The ground will be ploughed for you the first time.
After that you must look after it yourself."
"Is that all?"
"No. There is one additional very important thing.
I am getting old and fat,i and I can no longer scramble
around over these hills as I used to do. I want to come
and see you every year, and find out how you are getting
on. You will have to help build good trails for my
big horse, working ten days every year, or paying two
pesos, so that some one else can be hired to work in your
place. Everything else that I have told you must be
done, if you come to town, is for your benefit, not for mine,
and even the trails are only partly for my benefit. You
will find it easy and safe to travel over them, and when
you want to go to market, your carabao will be able to
pack three or four times as much as he can now carry
over bad paths."
"Will I gain any other advantages by Uving in town ?"
"Yes, two very important ones. You and your family
will be safe from attack, and you will have a chance to
send your children to school."
"Must I come and live in town if I do not want to ?"
"By no means. If you prefer to live up a tree in the
mountains, no one will interfere with you so long as you
' This is only too true !
668 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
behave yourself. There are plenty of mountains and
plenty of trees."
As a result of the simple arguments above outUned
and of the protection and help given them, nearly all of
the Bukidnon people have left the mountain fastnesses
through which they have until recently been scattered,
and are voluntarily taking up their residences in towns
which in their way are models.
Could the Filipinos keep them in the towns where we
have settled them ? No ; and they would not if they could.
They would chase them back into the forests as they were
doing when we made them stop it. Furthermore, they
could not if they would. In September, 1912, I heard
the people of eastern Bukidnon tell Governor Reyes
of Misamis that if their territory were put back into his
province, they would take to the hills and Uve with the
Manobos.
One of the most important factors in winning and re-
taining the good will of the non-Christian peoples has
been the extension to them of protection from the im-
positions of their Filipino neighbours. The following
is a fair sample of the sort of thing to which they have in
the past been subjected.
During my last trip through Bukidnon I learned that a
long-haired mountaineer who had been encouraged to plant
coffee and Manila hemp had acted on the suggestion, work-
ing very hard and establishing an excellent plantation which
had prospered. Wlien he had products ready for market
he had taken them to the coast town of BaUngasak. He
did not speak the language of the Visayan Filipino inhabit-
ants of that place, so fell into the hands of one of them
who knew his dialect. This rascal helped him to sell his
produce, but took a heavy commission for this service.
The hillman was nevertheless delighted with the result,
whereupon his "commissioner" suggested that what he
really needed was a partner in town to sell his crops,
so that he could spend his whole time in cultivating his
NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBE PROBLEMS 669
fields and not have to go to market. This struck the
hiUman as a good idea. The Filipino made out what
purported to be articles of partnership and the hillman
signed them with his mark, in the presence of witnesses.
A few months later he sent a valuable shipment of coffee
and hemp to his "partner." When weeks had passed
without his hearing from it, he went to Balingasdk to
find out what was wrong, whereupon his "partner"
stated that he was greatly obhged to him for his trouble
in cultivating and harvesting the products of the farm.
The hillman demanded his share of the returns and
the "partner" calmly assured him that he had no share,
having sold his farm at the time of his last visit. In-
vestigation proved that this ignorant man had signed a
bill of sale for his place.
Lieutenant-Governor Fortich interested himself in
the case and caused suit to be brought against the rascally
"partner" for steahng the hillman's produce. The
fiscal, or public prosecuting, officer was a bright young
Filipino who had recently graduated from an American
university. Nevertheless, he had the suit thrown out
of court because the "partner" of the hillman claimed
that the farm was his, and a question of property owner-
ship could not be conveniently determined in connec-
tion with a criminal suit.
At this stage of events I took a hand and brought the
matter to the attention of the Honourable Gregorio .Araneta,
secretary of fuiance and justice. The fiscal had sug-
gested that the wild man could bring a civil suit for
damages against his "partner." How could this helpless
barbarian have gone to Cagayan, hired a lawyer and
lived there while his case was pending? He was ab-
solutely helpless. Naturally, I was not. Another suit
was brought and the "partner" was sentenced to pay a
fine and was given a term in jail.
This is no isolated case. The wild men are constantly
deprived of their crops or their lands ; cheated in the sale
670 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
of their products and in their purchases; arrested and
fined on trumped-up charges ; compelled to work for
others -nithout compensation ; charged by private individ-
uals for the privilege of using government forests or taking
up pubhc lands ; and badgered and imposed upon in a
thousand and one other ways.
If the Fihpinos were put in control, would there rise
up among them unselfish men who would check the
rapacitj^ of their fellows, and extend to the helpless peoples
the protection they now enjoy ?
At all events, those who have made it their business
to protect the people of the non-Cliristian tribes have not
been popular among the Filipinos. As a precautionary
measure, I warned every man appointed governor of, or
Ueutenant-governor in, a special government province
that he must expect sooner or later to be accused of many
of the crimes recognized by existing laws. Every such
man who does his duty eventually has false, and usually
foul, charges brought against him. A common, and
indeed the favourite, complaint is that he has been guilty
of improper relations with women. The FiUpino is an
expert m framing up cases of this sort, and seems to
take special dehght in it, partly no doubt because such
charges are so excessively difficult to disprove.
Cruel abuse of the wild men, or their famiUes ; falsifi-
cation of public documents ; misappropriation of pubhc
funds ; adultery ; rape, — these are all common charges,
while more than one of my subordinates has been accused
of murder, and one has actually been brought into court
on such a charge. It is certainly no sinecure to be an
officer of a special government province.
A potent means of winning the undjdng regard of the
wild man is to cure him when he is sick, or heal him
when he is injured. Hospitals have already been es-
tabUshed in two of the special government provinces and
are doing untold good. Practically ever\'^ officer of these
provinces carries a set of simple remedies with him when
a
<
^ s
NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBE PROBLEMS 671
he travels, and treats the sick without compensation as
opportunity offers, but this work is as yet in its infancy.
The Filipinos have not doctors enough to heal their
own sick. Would they remember to heal the wild men ?
Hardly.
Several of the wild tribes have progressed much more
rapidly during the brief period since the American occu-
pation than have any of the Filipino peoples, and if
given adequate protection and friendly assistance they
will continue to progress. Their splendid phj^siques
and high intelligence, no less than their truthfulness,
honesty and morality, certainly make them well worth
saving.
Under Filipino rule the more helpless of these tribes
would speedily come under the control of their former
oppressors, but people like the Ifugaos, Bontoc Igorots,
Kalingas and wild Tingians would fight to the death
before submitting to them, and there would result a
guerrilla warfare as endless and disastrous as that which
has lasted so long between the Dutch and the Achinese.
There is every theoretical reason to believe that the
Filipinos would adopt toward such hostile primitive peoples
the policy of extermination which the Japanese have been
so vigorously carrying out in dealing with the hill people
of northern Formosa, who do not differ in any important
respect from the hill people of northern Luzon, with
whom such helpful and friendly relations have now been
established.
We have encouraged the primitive Philippine peoples
to stand up for their rights. We have promised them
our protection and help if they would do it, and thus far
we have kept our promise. To break it now, and turn them
over to the tender mercies of the Filipinos, who have
never ceased to make threats as to what they will do
when they get the chance, would in my opinion be a
crime against civilization.
The Moros openly boast that if the Americans go they
672 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
will raid the Christian towns, and this is no idle threat.
They will most assuredly do it.
Were American control to be withdrawn before the
civilization of the wild tribes had been effected, their future
would be dark indeed. Under continued American con-
trol they can be won over to civiUzed ways, and will in the
end become mentally and morally, as they now are
physically, superior to the lowlanders.
No man has been blessed with better subordinates than
I have had to assist me in the work carried on under my
direction for the non-Christian tribes of the Philippines.
I wish it clearly understood that it is to the loyalty and
efficiency of these men that the results which have been
obtained are due. Fearlessly, tirelessly, uncomplainingly,
they have borne their heavy shares of the white man's
burden, finding their greatest reward in the respect,
gratitude, and in many cases the affection, of those
whom they have so faithfully and effectively served.
Think of Pack, weakened by illnesses which twice
brought him within a hair's breadth of death, wearing
himself out riding over the Mountain Province trails,
many of which he himself had laboriously built, in order
to keep the little handful of men who control its 400,000
non-Christian inhabitants up to the high-water mark
of efficiency, when he could have gone home any day
and spent his remaining years in leisurely comfort ;
of Bryant, wandering for weeks on end through the
trackless forests of Nueva Vizcaya in order to get in
touch with Ilongot savages who were a good deal more
than "half devil" with the balance not "half child" but
peculiarly treacherous, vicious and savage man ; of
Offley, packing the bare necessities of life on his own back
while he struggled out to the coast from the centre of
Mindoro, where his frightened carriers had deserted him ;
of Kane, burning in the heat of the lowlands or soaked
and shivering on chiUy mountain crests, while building new
roads and keeping old ones open for traffic ; of Lewis,
NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBE PROBLEMS 673
trying to cover a territory large enough to tax the energies
of three men, and in his efforts to do so riding until so
weary that at night he fell from his horse unable to dis-
mount ; of Fortich, a Filipino Ueutenant-governor,
faithfully carrying out the white man's pohcy and pro-
tecting the Bukidnons from his own people who charged
him with murder because he drove them from their prey ;
of Gallman, risking his hfe a thousand times in a successful
individual effort to bring 125,000 head-hunting savages
under effective control and to establish relations of
genuine friendship with them ; of Hale, turning tattooed
Kalinga devils into effective officers for the maintenance of
law and order, or making a bundle of the lances thrown at
him and sending them back to the people who threw
them with a mild suggestion that it was impolite to treat
a would-be friend in such an unceremonious way ; of
Johnson, tramping through the reeking filth of the Butuan
swamps with a cancer eating away the bone of his leg,
and referring to it as "a little swelling" when asked
what made him lame ; of Bondurant, spending the last
afternoon of his life in pursuing Moro outlaws through
that worst of all tropical infernos, a mangrove swamp,
when burning with pernicious malarial fever and fighting
for the very breath of life ; of Miller, faithful unto death !
We are wont to quote with feeling the famihar words,
"Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his
life for his friend," but what shall we say of the love of
duty of men like Miller and Bondurant, who in doing
their country's work cheerfully laid down their lives for
an alien people ?
While in the United States in 1910 I read Rudyard
Kipling's "If" and thereafter did not rest until I had sent
a copy of it to each governor and lieutenant-governor
employed in the special provincial government service
of the Philippine Islands. Kipling wrote for these men of
mine up in the hills without knowing it. They understand
him and he would understand them.
674 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
There is not one of them who has not learned to
"... fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run " ;
not one whose personal experience has left him deaf to
the appeal of the lines : —
"If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you ;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about don't deal in Kes,
Or being hated don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise."
Furthermore, each of them has again and again finished
on his nerve. Did not the words, —
"If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in j^ou
Except the Will which says to them : ' Hold on ! ' "
run through Bondurant's mind that last afternoon when
he was following Moro outlaws through a foul mangrove
swamp, while his senses reeled with the fever which was
so soon to end his life ?
In his wonderful quadruplet of stanzas Kipling has
fixed one criterion of manhood which it is hard indeed
to meet : —
" If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools.
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken.
And stoop and build them up with worn-out tools."
I beg my fellow-countrymen to remember that the
non-Christians of the Philippines constitute an eighth
of the population ; that the work undertaken for their
physical, mental and moral advancement has succeeded
far beyond the hopes of those who initiated it ; that its
NON-CHRISTIAN TRIBE PROBLEMS 675
results would go down like a house of cards if American
control were prematurely wdthdrawTi. Shall the men
who have devoted their lives to these things be forced
to watch them broken, and then be denied the poor
privilege of building them up again ? If the splendid
results of so much efficient, faithful, self-sacrificing and
successful effort were to be lost, would not the dead who
gave their lives for them turn in their graves ?
The greatest of the non-Christian tribe problems in
the Philippines at present is, "Shall the work go on?"
There is one satisfaction which no man can take from
those of us who have worked for the advancement of
these backward and hitherto neglected peoples. We have
shown what can be done!
CHAPTER XXV
Slavery and Peonage
Chattel slaverj^ existed in the Philippine Islands when
Magellan discovered them in 1521. It exists there to-day.
Morga, who was in the Phihppines from 1595 to about
1608, and is admittedly the most rehable chronicler of the
events of those early days, has given the following in-
teresting account of the conditions then existing : ' —
"There are three classes of persons among the natives of
these Islands, by which the commonwealth is divided : yrin-
cipales, of whom I have spoken before ; timawa which is the
same as plebeians, and slaves, of principales as well as of
timawa. These slaves were of various classes : some are in
entire servitude and slavery, like those which we have, and
these are called sagigilir; Ihey served in the interior of the
houses and so also the children descended from them ; others,
who have their o^\^l dwellings, which they inhabit with their
family, away from the house of their master, and these come
in at times to help the latter in their fields and crops, as also
aboard the vessel when they embark, and in the construction
of their houses whenever they erect such, and they also serve
in their houses whenever there is a guest of some distinction,
and they are under obligation, whenever the master has them
called, to come to his house and to serve him in this ministry
■ftdthout pay or other stipend; these are called 72ama)nahai,
and their children and descendents are slaves of the same
condition. Of these slaves sagigilir and naniamahai there are
some who are slaves entirely, and others who are only half
slaves, and others who are slaves only for a fourth part. This
originates thus: if either the father or the mother was free
and they had a single child, the latter was half free and half
slave, if they had more than one child, the children were
distributed in this way : the first followed the condition of the
1 Rizal's 1890 edition of Morga's "Sueesos de las Islas Filipinas,"
p. 297, et seq.
676
SLAVERY AND PEONAGE 677
father, be he free or a slave, and the second that of the mother ;
and if the number was uneven, the last child was half free and
half slave; and those descended from such child, if they had
a free father or a free mother, remained slave only for a fourth
part, because they were children of a free father, or mother,
and of a half slave. These half or quarter slaves, namamahai or
sagigilir, serve their masters only every second month, re-
spectively, in proportion to their condition as slave.
"Among the natives the ordinary price of a slave sagigilir
used to be, if much, ten taes of good gold, worth 80 pesos, and
if he is a namamahai half of that, and thus in proportion the
others, taking into account the personahty and age.
"It cannot be established as a principle from where these
classes of servitude among the natives arose, for they are all of
the islands and not foreigners; it is understood that they
made them in their wars and differences ; and the most certain
is that those who were most powerful made and took as slaves
the others for slight causes and occasions, and most often
through loans and usurious contracts current amongst them, the
payment, risk and debt increasing with the lapse of time until
they became slaves ; and thus all these forms of servitude have
their violent and unjust origin, and it is about them that there
arise the greater part of the lawsuits that exist among the
natives and with which they keep busy the judges in the forum
of the court, and the confessors in that of the conscience."
To the last of the preceding paragraphs Rizal makes
the following annotation, which, mutatis mutandis, should
give leading Filipinos of to-day matter for reflection : — ■
"This class of slaves exists even now in many parts, and
before all in the province of Batangas, but it must be confessed
that their condition is very different from that of a slave in
Greece, or Rome, from that of the negro, and even of those
made in later times by Spaniards. . . .
" Fihpinas, in spite of so many centuries of christianizar
tion, in spite of the efforts of some few noble minds, priests
as well as civilians, continues still, and is desired to continue,
almost in the same state a.s formerly, for those who chrect
the country look more to the present than to the future, and
because they are guided not by confidence, but by fear. The
efforts of the religious corporations to improve this state of
things have never been as efficacious, nor as strenuous, as
might have been expected from them."
678 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
Morga continues : ' —
" These slaves are the greatest wealth and capital which the
natives of these islands possess, because they are to them very
useful and necessary for their labors and farms ; and among
them they are sold, exchanged, and made objects of contract,
like any other merchandise, from one pueblo to the other,
from one province to the other, and likewise from one island
to the other. For which reason, and in order to avoid so many
lawsuits that would arise, if the question of these servitudes,
their origin and beginning, were taken up, they [the slaves,
Tr.] are retained and kept as they were kept formerly."
Rizal comments on this passage as follows : —
"Thus Catholicism not only did not hberate the poor class
from the tyranny of the oppressive, but with its advent in
the Philippines increased the number of tyrants. Time alone,
and instruction, which with it brings suaver customs, will
ultimately redeem the Pariahs of the Philippines, for we see that
the apostles of the peace did not find in themselves sufficient
valour to battle with the oppressors, and this in times of great
faith; on the contrary, they rather contributed indirectly to
their misery, as we see from the foregoing."
The most frequent cause, already mentioned above,
from which these conditions of ser\'itude arose, is again
pointed out by Morga in the following passage : ^ —
"Loans with interest were in very common practice, exces-
sively high rates of interest being current, so that the debt
doubled and multiplied all the time during which the payment
was deferred, until there was taken from the debtor what he
possessed as capital, and, when ultimately nothing more was
left, his person and liis children."
Of these statements Rizal says : —
"This is the sad truth, and so much the truth that it subsists
until now. In many pro-vinces, and in many towns, there is
taking place, word for word, what Morga says, it being to be
lamented that at present not only Indios [Filipinos, Tr.] con-
tinue this usury, but also the mestizos, the Spaniards, and
even various priests. And it has come to this that the Govem-
» " Sueesos," p. 300. ^ Ibid., p. 305.
o
pa
SLAVERY AND PEONAGE 679
ment itself not only permits it, but in its turn exacts the capital
and the person in payment of the debt of others, as occurs
with the cabeza de barangay."
It would be easy to compile passages similar to the
preceding from other authors, but those given are explicit
and authoritative enough to make it clear, first, that
slavery existed in the Philippines at the time of the con-
quest as a general tribal institution of social and eco-
nomical character and in minutely regulated form ; and,
second, that although it lost, with the advent of the
Spaniards, the character of an institution, and indeed
was formally abolished by early edicts from Spain, it
continued to exist as an unauthorized practice, so that
Rizal, writing at the close of the nineteenth century
could say that slaves still existed in many parts of the
country.
In a statement recently published in the New Yoi'k
Evening Post, Senor Quezon, Resident Delegate from the
Philippines to Congress, has said : —
"Since there is not, and there never was, slavery in the
territory inhabited by the Christian Filipinos, which is the part
of the Islands sul^ject to the legislative control of the Assembly,
this House has refused to concur in the anti-slavery bill passed
by the Philippine Commission."
Whom will the American public believe, Morga, the
historian, and Rizal, the Filipino patriot, or Quezon, the
Filipino politician ?
While I entertain no doubt as to the answer, I shall
nevertheless discuss at length the more recent history
and present status of slavery and peonage in the Philip-
pines, because of the vital importance -of full knowledge
of the facts to intelligent consideration of the claim that
the Filipinos have arrived at a stage of civilization com-
parable with that of the more advanced nations of the
world, and are capable of establishing and maintaining a
just and humane government.
680 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
The Spanish Penal Code did not prohibit or penalize
slavery, or the purchase or sale of human beings. It did
contain provisions against forcible detention of individuals
and the abduction of minors, but in the Phihppines at
least they were more honoured in the breach than in the
observance during the Spanish regmie.
The Moros raided the towais of the peaceful Filipino
inhabitants of the Visayan Islands and of Luzon until
within quite recent times. An unhappy fate awaited the
prisoners whom they took. INIen were frequently com-
pelled to harvest for their captors the crops which they
themselves had planted, and were then mercilessly
butchered. Women, girls and boys were carried away
into slavery, the former to serve as household drudges or
as concubines, and the latter to be brought up as slaves
pure and simple. Some men met a similar fate. The
only reason that more were not enslaved was that it was
usually considered too much trouble to make full-grown
individuals work. Slaves were held as chattels if it
suited the convenience of their masters to retain them,
and otherwise were sold, bartered or given away. Zam-
boanga was at the outset largely populated by escaped
Moro slaves who had sought the protection of the Spanish
garrison there. Coming originally from widely separated
^parts of the archipelago, these unfortunates had no com-
mon native dialect, hence there arose among them a
Spanish patois now known as Zajuhoangueho.
The American occupation brought many and brusque
changes in political conditions. The attitude of Ameri-
cans toward slavery and peonage was very different from
that of the easy-going Spaniards, who had never sanc-
tioned it but had never made any determined effort to
break it up.
From the effective establishment of United States
sovereignty in 1899 until July 4, 1901, the Philippines
were under military rule, which has one great advantage :
its methods usually bring quick results.
SLAVERY AND PEONAGE 681
Doubtless the majority of the slaves then held in the
islands were too timid, and too suspicious of the character
and purposes of Americans, to appeal to them for protec-
tion ; but there were not a few whose lives had become so
unbearable that they were prepared to take almost any
risk on the chance of securing release. People of this
class ran away from their masters and sought the protec-
tion of army officers. I am glad to say that in every
such instance which has come to my knowledge it was
promptly given. Not only were they ad\'ised that they
could not be held in bondage, and were free to go where
they pleased, but when practicable their masters were
warned against attempting to regain control over them.
It is probable that the large majority of such cases were
never officially reported. Most of the army officers con-
cerned were in some doubt as to their legal status in the
premises, but they knew that the constitution of the
United States prohibits slavery ; their sympathies went
out to the -ftTetched human beings who appealed to them
for aid, and they decided to be a law unto themselves.
After the establishment of civil government some army
officers continued to exercise arbitrary powers in dealing
with such cases of slavery as came to their attention,
while others contented themselves with reporting them
to the civil authorities.
The conditions which prevailed in the Moro Province
in 1902 are concisely described by its military governor.
General George W. Davis, in a report written on August
25 of that year. He said : —
"With a people who have no conception of government that
is not arbitrary and absolute ; who hokl human life as no more
sacred than the life of an animal ; who have become accustomed
to acts of violence ; who are constrained by fear from continu-
ing the practice of piracy ; who still carry on slave trade ; who
habitually raid the homes of mountain natives and enslave
them ; who habitually make slaves of their captives in war —
even when of their owa race ; who not uncommonly make
delivery of their own kindred as slaves in satisfaction of a debt
682 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
for liquidation of which they have not the ready money ; who
habitually observe the precepts of the Koran, which declares
that female slaves must submit to their masters, — it is useless
to discuss a plan of government that is not based on physical
force, might, and power."
Senor Quezon, in describing conditions in the Moro
country, has said : ^ —
"American authorities made treaties with the Sultan of
Jolo whereby slavery was legalized and recognized among the
-non-Christian jMoros and received the protection of the United
States army and civil authorities. This state of things con-
tinued for a long time under official recognition and even after
the treaties in question were abandoned it was allowed to go on
tlespite the protests of Filipino and American students of the
question."
It is true that General Bates attempted to negotiate a
treaty with the Sultan of Jol6, in which he felt himself
compelled to recognize slavery as an existing Moro custom.
This action was unauthorized and was disapproved by
his superiors. It did not legalize slavery. Neither Moro
nor any other kind of slavery was ever protected by the
civil authorities.
The act providing for the organization of the Moro
Pro\-ince vras passed on June 1, 1903, and hardly had the
civil officers therein pro\'ided for been appointed when,
on September 24, 1903, the legislative council passed an
act entitled "An Act defining the crimes of slaveholding
and slavehunting and prescribing the punishment there-
for," 2 which was promptly approved by the Philippine
Commission and thus came to have the force and effect
of law. Under it active measures were adopted to
' "The Filipino People," Vol. 2, No. 1, p. 15, September, 1913.
' On July 1.5, 1913, I published an ofBeial report, as secretary of
the interior, on "Slavery and Peonage in the Philippine Islands." It
is hereinafter referred to in foot-notes under the title of "Slavery and
Peonage." Beginning on p. 84 of this document will be found extracts
from court records sho-«-ing eon\-ictions obtained under this act, which
is quoted in full on p. 83 of the same document.
SLAVERY AND PEONAGE 683
break up slavery in the Moro Province. They have re-
sulted very successfully, and persons who have cap-
tured others to be held or sold as slaves, as well as
persons who have actually sold, bought or kept slaves,
have been convicted and punished.
Senor Quezon's statement relative to the attitude of the
civil authorities in this matter is therefore recklessly false.
The existence of slavery in the Moro Province was well
known from the outset, hence the immediate enactment
of legislation to meet the special conditions which pre-
vailed there.
Little by little the commission learned that slavery
was by no means confined to Moro territory, and that
peonage was general throughout the islands.
Before going further, I wish to make clear the sense in
which I use these terms.
I define slavery as the condition of a human being
held as a chattel and compelled to render service for
which he is not compensated. As food and clothing are
necessarily furnished by the slave owner, they are not
considered to constitute compensation.
Peonage I define as the condition of a debtor held by
his creditor in a form of qualified servitude to work out a
debt.
On April 28, 1903, the senior inspector of con-
stabulaiy in Isabela wired the first district chief of con-
stabulary, Manila, as follows : —
" In this province a common practice to own slaves. These
are bought by proprietarios [property owners. — D. C. W.]
from Igorrotes and Calingas who steal same in distant places
from other tribes. Young boys and girls are bought at about
100 pesos, men 30 years old and old women cheaper. When
bought, are generally christened and put -to work on ranch or
in house, and I think generally well-treated. In this town a
number sold within last few months, and as reported to me,
Governor has bought three. Shall I investigate further?
Instructions desired.
(Signed) "Sorenson."
684 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
Senior Inspector Sorenson was instructed to make a
thorough investigation of, and a detailed report on, the
slave question.
On May 2 he comphed with these instructions, ^ describ-
ing the conditions under which slaves were taken by the
neighbouring Kalingas and Ifugaos, whom he wrongly
calls "Igorrotes," the methods employed in selling them,
and the treatment subsequently given them by their
purchasers.
He also furnished a list of "Igorrotes" sold in the prov-
ince during the past year, with names of the purchasers
and prices paid. The ages of these unhappy individuals
varied from eight to twenty-seven years, the prices paid
for them, from one hundred and ten to two hundred and
fifty Mexican dollars.
This report led Governor Taft to write to Governor
Dichoso of Isabela, who was charged with o^^^ling a slave,
asking him for a frank statement of the facts as to the
prevalence of slavery in his province.
Governor Dichoso's reply, dated September 9, 1903,
will make interesting reading for those who claim that
slavery does not exist, and has never existed, among the
Filipinos. I give it practically in full, omitting only the
titles of the governor : —
' ' Having noted the contents of the official letter of the Honour-
able the Civil Governor in the Philippine Islands, Mr. W. H.
Taft, dated the 8th of August, last, and of the copy of the report
annexed thereto, which were received yesterday, I have the
honour to respectfully reply that during the 21 years, ffiore or
less, that I have resided in this provincial capital (llagan),
I have never thought of buying a member or a child of the race
mentioned in the "report, or of any other tribe, to serve as a
slave in my household, not for the reason that this is pro-
hibited and punished by section 484 and the following sections
of the Spanish Code now in force, relative to the crime of kid-
napping, but because it goes against my nature to trest in this
> For the full text of this interesting and important report see
"Slavery and Peonage," p. 85.
SLAVERY AND PEONAGE 685
manner a person who, like all human beings alive, is a likeness
of the Highest. This I prove by means of the documents
annexed hereto.
"I could easily have done so in time of the late Spanish Gov-
ernment, because I had good opportunities for doing so, and
could have afforded to do so on account of my social position
from that time on up to date, during which period I held
successively the following public offices : —
*******
"This having been my status, and considering the power
and the opportunity which I had for obtaining slaves, I might
not have had only one, but enough to harvest the tobacco on
my plantation, and the other crops which I had planted.
"Under the past Government there existed slaves in this
province, but only a .small number, for only wealthy families
could afford to keep them. The same was the case in the neigh-
bouring Provinces of Neuva Vizcaya and Cagayan ; in the former
they also used to have slaves of the Ifugao tribe, and in the
latter Negritos, but very few of these.
"Since the glorious Star-Spangled Banner has been imfolded
over the Province of Isabela, the slaves existing in the same,
which had been purchased in that time and recently, are very
well treated and seem to be members of the family, because the
military authorities prohibited their masters from ill-treating
them as they were wont to do. Since then many of the slaves
have run away from their owners and have sought new masters
who treat them well, as it happened in the case of an Igorrote
woman of the Ifugao tribe, who was about 40 years of age, and
who had been in the service of a lady in the pueblo of Echague
for many years. When, in the year 1900, the military enforced
the prohibition of ill-treatment of slaves in the said pueblo, this
Igorrote woman ran away and presented herself at my house,
I being at this time justice of the peace of this provincial capital,
and asked me to employ her as servant. My principle not to
have slaves preventing me from complying with her wishes,
I directed her to apply to Mr. Andres Claraval and his wife,
Filomena Salinas. They accepted her, and a short time after-
wards they had her baptized and christened Magdalena Claraval.
She is being treated like an adopted daughter by them.
"The gentlemen who are mentioned in the report as having
purchased slaves really acquired Igorrotes by purchase and
keep them in their house, some of them having died since.
Some of these transactions were made in the Spanish times, as
in the case of the late Mr. Policarpo Gangan, who bought 6
686 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
or 7 Ifugaos, whom on his death he left to his children, Mr.
Pedro Gangan, Mrs. Susana Gangan, Miss Maria Gangan, and
Mrs. Rufina Gangan, and others were made recently and
secretly, while I was absent from town on official business in the
pueblos of this province. Mr. Thomas Gollayan, the late pro-
vincial secretary, bought two Igorrotes while I was in Manila in
December and January, last. They were well aware of the fact
that I prosecuted kidnapping with tenacity, my object being to
put a stop, if po.ssible, to this abominable practice, which has
since some time prevailed in the pueblos of this province. . . .
"In order to prove that I endeavoured to make the proper
investigation for the purpose of proving whether slavery really
existed in this province, I have the honour to annex an affidavit
by Agapito Telan, a resident of Ilagan, in which it appears
that he sold Igorrotes of the Ifugao tribe to several residents
of this town. I was unable to ascertain the numbers of Igorrotes
of the same tribe sold by Modesto Sibal, Lorenzo Montevirgen,
Lorenzo Montalvo, Andres Castro, and Cosme Ferrer, who are
engaged in the same business as Agapito Telan, as it appears
from the deposition of the latter, for the reason that these per-
sons did not appear before me, although in 1902 I had on
several occasions verbally requested the late municipal presi-
dent, Mr. Pascual Paguirigan, to cause them to appear in an
unofficial manner. I was not surprised that they did not ap-
pear before me, as Paguirigan was involved in the investiga-
tion, as it happened in the case of the aforesaid Agapito Telan,
who appeared before me when I asked the acting municipal
president to have him do so.
"I was afraid to direct those persons to appear before me
by means of written orders, because I had not document or
complaint whereon to base them, as required by the procedure
now in force, and feared that on account of the unlawful nature
of the summons they might proceed against me for coaccion,
and sue me besides for damages.
"According to my personal observation and to what I have
seen in the other pueblos of this Province of Isabela, but prin-
cipally in the provincial capital, the Igorrotes who are said
to be slaves cannot be considered as such since the times of the
military government, as they are considered and treated as
members of the family of the chief of the household. Never-
theless, I am and shall continue to be inexorable in the prosecu-
tion of slavery, as it is a crime and should be prosecuted as such,
in order to prevent at least that the persons engaged in this
business commit this crime again.
>
= Q
. 5 a
- - c
o = c
= 3 .
O - 2
SLAVERY AND PEONAGE 687
"It is my humble opinion that an act should be passed to the
end of eradicating this practice which has become general
throughout the Cagayan Valley.^ Otherwise, as I have seen
in my continual efforts, the provincial authorities cannot do
anything to check the evil, however they may try. It is neces-
sary that some one should be made to feel the rigour of the act
suggested and suffer the punishment designated by it.
"As a rule the inhabitants of this province already under-
stand personal liberty and know that a person is entitled to go
wherever he pleases, which liberty has given birth to the humane
treatment of the fellow-men which now prevails.
"Caciquism is still existing in parts of this pro\nnce, but I
am confident that with the cooperation of sensible persons in
my continuous efforts it will be completely eradicated, and
personal liberty will reign supreme, as in every repubhc where
the laws assure complete and real liberty, the liberty from
slavery."
As supporting evidence Governor Diehoso forwarded
with his letter a number of statements from persons
resident in the capital of Isabela to the effect that
during the twenty-one years that he had Uved there he
had never purchased, intended to purchase, or kept in
his house any Igorrote of the Ifugao or any other tribe.
In addition he forwarded a somewhat unique docu-
ment in the form of a sworn statement by a slave dealer
which is of such interest that I give it in its entirety : —
"I, Agapito Telan, a resident of this provincial capital
(Ilagan), certify: On the 19th of June, 1903, I was summoned
by the provincial governor, Mr. Francisco Diehoso y Reyes,
and when I was with him in the office of the provincial govern-
ment, he and the secretary took my sworn deposition, as fol-
lows : —
"Upon being asked to state the number of children of the
infidel tribe of the Ifugaos sold by me to several residents of
this provincial capital, the approximate age of these children,
the names of the persons to whom they were sold, the number
of children bought by these persons, the value of each of the
said children, their sex, and the year, month, and day on which
the said sales were made, deponent repUed that in the year
' This valley includes the Provinces of Cagayan and Isabela.
688 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
1902, in the month of September, and on a day which he cannot
remember, he sold to the late Policarpo Gangan two Ifugao boys,
of the ages of 8 and 9, respectively, for the sum of 360 Mexican
dollars, another boy, 9 years of age, he sold to Juan Dauag for
the sum of 180 Mexican dollars, and another boy, 8 years of
age, he sold to Seferino Malana for the sum of 160 Mexican
dollars, the latter two being sold on the same month and year
aforementioned, and in Ilagan also.
"In the year of 1903 the deponent sold a boy and a girl of the
Ifugao tribe, who, judging by their physical development, were
about 6 and 8 years old ; the boy, six years of age, he sold to
Pascual Paguirigan, late municipal president, and the girl to
Dona Rufina Gangan, for the sum of 180 Mexican dollars each.
This was in January, but deponent does not remember the day.
"In February he sold a boy and a girl of the same tribe,
8 years of age, the former to Cirilo Gantinao and the latter to
Salvador Aggabao, for 180 Mexican dollars each. The pur-
chasers are residents of this town.
"Upon being asked who are the other persons who, like
deponent, are engaged in taking Ifugao children from the settle-
ments of the infidels and then selling the same to whomever
wants them, and that he state where they reside, deponent
replied that the persons who are engaged in the same business
as he, are Modesto Sibal, Lorenzo Monte-Virgen, and Lorenzo
Montalvo, residents of the pueblo of Gamii, and Andres Castro
and Cosme Ferrer, residents of this provincial capital.
"Upon being asked whether he knew if these persons are
like him engaged in the purchase of minors and what was the
number of children taken by each during the year of 1902 and
1903, and if so, to state to whom they were sold, and at what
price the deponent replied that he is completely ignorant of
the matter in regard to which information is requested, but
that it was possible that they had taken more children, as they
are living nearer to the settlements from which they are taken,
and as they are able to make the trip three times to the defend-
ant's once.
"Asked what methods they employ for the purpose of get-
ting children from that tribe, deponent says that all they do is
to enter into a contract with those whom thej^ consider their
dattos or chiefs, and who come down from the mountains with
the children, which are purchased from them by the persons
engaged in this trade.
"Asked to state the price of the children bought at the accus-
tomed places for these transactions for the purpose of reselling
SLAVERY AND PEONAGE 689
them, the deponent states that the children are sold at the
same price at which they are purchased at that place.
"He having thus stated, the foregoing was read to him, and
he agreed to it, signing it after the Provincial Governor, which
I, the secretary appointed for this act, attest.
"Francisco Dichoso,
" Provincial Governor.
"Agapito Telan,
" Fernando Domingo.
" Secretary appointed.
(Sgd.) "Agapito Telan.
"Subscribed and sworn to before me this 10th day of Sep-
tember, 1903.
(Sgd.) "Francisco Tauad,
"Clerk of the Court, Ilagan."
The existence of slavery in Misamis, a regularly organ-
ized pro\ance, had been disclosed at a still earlier date.
In May, 1902, its Filipino governor, Sr. Manuel Cor-
rales, was asked to report, and did report, on slavery in
that province, under the following circumstances : —
On May 2, 1902, General George W. Davis telegraphed
the Adjutant-General, Manila : —
"Following telegram respectfully repeated: 'Zamboanga,
May 1, 1902, via Malabang, to Wade. Commanding Officer,
Misamis, reports April 30, that Presidente notified him that
he was going to send armed party to capture two Moro slaves
which have escaped from their Filipino master whose names
were not given. Says there are many Filipinos who own slaves.
Presidente was told that the troops had nothing to do with
civilian affairs. I have no doubt but that the Filipinos on the
north coast here have many slaves. At Butuan I saw one in
November that had been recently purchased.'"
Governor-General Wright referred a copy of this tele-
gram to Governor Corrales with an indorsement —
"calling his attention to the within communication. Informa-
tion is desired as to whether or not the within facts are true as
stated, and also whether there are any persons held in involun-
tary servitude other than convicts within the province, and if
so, that full particulars be given."
690 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
Governor Corrales himself has none too good a record
in connection with the treatment accorded the non-
Christians of his province, and would certainly not paint
a darker picture than was called for by the facts, yet in
his reply ' he gives the names of six towns in which "one
still finds a few slave servants, most of them acquired
many years ago." He adds : —
"At the present time, there are but few sales of slaves pro-
ceeding from the mountain tribes, which arc now relatively
civilized. In Iligan and Misamis, I have heard that such sales
were more frequent, for two reasons : (1) the Moro race is
more despotic and more numerous ; (2) the weekly market in
Iligan gives them an opportunity to carry on that sort of busi-
ness, although they have to do it by stealth, on account of the
watchfulness of the authorities.
" I will call your attention to the fact that the slaves proceed-
ing from the Moro district constitute, in the Moro villages, an
inferior social class, the slave family, whose origin is due to the
prisoners taken by the Dattos on their e:cpeclitions ; when they
are transferred to the Christians in Iligan or Misamis, because
their masters wish to make money, or are hard pressed by the
famines which are so frequent in the region of the Lanao, their
condition is considerably improved by the good treatment and
the better and more abundant food which they obtain in their
new situation, by the mere fact that they live with a more civil-
ized people.
"Those who come from the mountain tribes are not born
slaves ; with few exceptions, the chiefs and principal men of
these tribes do not own slaves which they use for their service
or for agricultural work, as the Moros do. Slaves are gener-
ally obtained in the following way : — •
"It happens that a chief with beUicose and sanguinary in-
stincts, who leads a nomad life and does not belong to the peace-
ful class which is given to farm life, organizes a gang of men
of his sort, makes incursions in the wildest parts of the woods
and raids the lone huts inhabited by savage and nomad families ;
he kills by treachery the growia-up people and carries off the
children, which he can easily master ; he then sells them to the
peaceful farm dwellers, who sell them in their turn to the Chris-
tian pueblos.
' For the full text of this document see "Slavery and Peonage," pp.
12-14.
SLAVERY AND PEONAGE 691
"As I have already said, such cases are happily rare. In
Iligan and Misamis, which are far from the capital of the prov-
ince, and therefore from the Court and the provincial author-
ities, the slaves have had less opportunity to claim their rights,
and it is not astonishing that neither the slaves nor their masters
have a true notion of what is meant by individual liberty, al-
though the former are at least sure of their lives since they left
the jurisdiction of the !Moros, at whose absolute mercy they
were, and are much better treated among the Christians.
"I intend taking all necessary measures within my jurisdic-
tion in order to put an end to such a hateful trade, and wait for
any further instructions which you may deem it convenient to
give me."
Unfortunately neither the measures taken by Governor
Corrales nor those adopted by his successors have
sufficed to end this "hateful trade" in the pro\'ince of
Misamis.
In July of the present year,' a man accused of holding
two Bukidnon children in slavery did not deny the charge,
but set up the defence that he was a resident of Misamis,
where there was no law against this crime. He had been
proceeded against under an anti-slavery law passed by
the commission for the provinces under its exclusive
jurisdiction, on the theory that he resided in Agusan. He
won his case, proving that his house was about a hundred
yards over the line.
The revelations contained in the reports above men-
tioned naturally called for action. Inspector Sorenson's
report was referred to the commission with the following
indorsement : —
"Office of the Civil Governor,
"Manil.'I, August 13, 1903.
"The Senior Inspector of Constabulary in the Province of
Isabela reports that there is quite a slave trade in the Cagayan
Valley. The report of Sorenson, the Inspector, is submitted to
the Commission and I suggest a reference to Commissioner
Wright in order that he may include in the Criminal Code some
clauses which will enable us to reach this abuse.
(Signed) "Wm. H. Taft,
"Civil Governor."
» 1913.
692
THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
The report was, by direction of the commission, re-
ferred to Commissioner Wright as suggested by Governor
Taft for consideration in connection with a proposed new
Criminal Code which was being prepared, under his
general supervision, for enactment. An immense amount
of work was necessary on this code, and it was never
completed and enacted. Various matters needing atten-
tion have since been reached through the medium ot
special laws, and it is obvious that it was mtended to
pursue this course in this instance, as is shown by the
fact that Governor Dichoso's reply was forwarded to
General Wright on October 19, 1903, with the following
indorsement : —
[First Indorsement]
"Executive Bureau,
"Manila, October 19, 1903.
"Respectfully referred to the Secretary of Commerce and
Police for his information and consideration m cx)nnection with
the proposed Act denouncing slavery and kidnapping and
kindred offences as crimes. ^^.^^^^ ,^^^ ^ ^^^_
"Civil Governor."
Why such an act was not drafted and passed I do not
know I was then absent on leave, and did not even
learn of the existence of any of the above-quoted docu-
ments until years afterward. My personal attention was
forcibly drawn to the existence of slavery outside of the
Moro territory when I first inspected Nueva Vizcaya m
1905 The territory occupied by the Ifugaos, since sepa-
rated as a sub-province of the Mountain Province, was
then a part of Nueva Vizcaya, which had been organized
as a province under a special act and was, in a way, sub-
ject to my executive control. ,, ^- .
Its governor, Louis G. Knight, called my attention to
the fact that Ifugao children were frequently enslaved by
Filipinos of Nueva Vizcaya and Isabela. I asked him to
get specific data so that we might prosecute the offenders.
( V • ■ . *,'','^?
O
a
o
SLAVERY AND PEONAGE 693
He soon sent to the Executive Secretary a report ^ which
gave full details of a number of recent cases of the buy-
ing and selling of Ifugaos as slaves, contained a state-
ment that Governor Knight, who was himself a lawyer,
could "find nothing whatever in the penal code defining
or punishing as a crime the buying or selling of human
beings," and recommended that "this crime be defined
and punished in the proposed new penal code."
The report was referred to me by the executive secre-
tary on September 20, 1905, and on September 22 was
by me forwarded to the Honourable Luke E. Wright,
governor-general, with an indorsement —
"inviting attention to the inclosed statements from the Gov-
ernor of Nueva Vizcaya, relative to the traffic in Igorrote chil-
dren in his province.
"The undersigned has reason to believe that Negrito chil-
dren and children of other non-Christian tribes are occasionally
bought and sold by civilized natives, and is strongly of the
opinion that in case the Penal Code does not provide adequate
punishment for such offences, it should be so amended as to
make it possible to inflict severe penalties upon those who buy
and sell human beings in this Archipelago.
(Signed) "Dean C. Worcester,
"Secretary of the Interior."
The papers were referred by Governor-General Wright
to the Attorney-General —
" for an opinion as to whether there is not some provision in
the present Penal Code which will provide adequate punish-
ment for such offences as are related herein."
The opinion of the Attorney-General rendered in re-
sponse to this request' encouraged me to beheve that
something could be done under existing law.
' For the full text of this document see "Slavery and Peonage," pp.
23-25.
- "Respectfully returned to the Honourable the Governor-General
of the Philippine Islands, with the following opinion :
"The acts given in the attached letter of the Provincial Governor
of Nueva Vizcaya, dated September 14, 1905, in so far as they refer
VOL. II — o
694 THE PHILIPPIXES P-\ST AND PRESENT
I returned the papers, together with the opinion, to the
governor of Nueva Vizcaj^a and three test suits were
brought as promptlj' as possible.
One of them has become historic. It was brought
against Tomas Cabanag, a well-kno^vn slave dealer who
made a business of brndng and selUng Ifugao children.
to the purchase and sale of human beings, are not pro^aded for or pun-
ished under the existing Penal Code ; but such actions are punishable
under that Code when they constitute either the kidnapping of a
minor, iUegal detention or serious threats, according to sections 481,
484 and 494 thereof.
"Therefore, in accordance with the fourth paragraph of the L=tter
of the said Pro\'incial Governor, I am of the opinion that not only the
Igorrotes who stole the Igorrote boy, but also those who received and
sold him. as well as the woman who bought him for forty pesos, are
guilty of illegal detention. The latter is furthermore guilty of grave
threats, inasmuch as she threatened to kill the purchased Igorrote if
he tried to escape from her sennee.
"With reference to paragraphs 5, 6, 7 and 8 of the attached letter,
I believe that those who stole the Mttle Igorrote and also the woman
Antonia, who sold him when knowing him to have been kidnapped,
are guiltj' of the offence of illegal detention.
"If the boy who was stolen and sold, referred to in paragraphs
9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 of the enclosed letter, was under seven j'ears of age,
then those who stole him are guUty of the offence of kidnapping a
minor, and the Igorrote woman, Antonia, and the wife of Senor Arriola,
the Clerk of the Court, are accomplices in the crime. But if the child
was over seven years old, then the oflfenee would be illegal detention.
The same maj' be said of the case recounted in paragraphs 14 and 15 of
this communication. The parties who stole, sold and bought the little
Igorrote are guilty of kidnapping a minor or of iUegal detention accord-
ing to the age of the victim.
"The acts committed by Captain Vicente Tomang, referred to in
paragraph 16 of this letter, are punishable both as a serious threat and
as illegal detention, because he unlawfully deprived the two Igorrote
women of their liberty when they desired to leave his service, for which
purpose he threatened to kill them.
"Although not asked for in the indorsement to which this is a reply,
I venture to suggest that the Igorrotes who armed themselves and
formed a band for the purpose of kidnapping persons for subsequent
sale, be punished under Act 1121, which penalizes as bandolerismo the
abduction of persons for any purpose, even though there may be no
extortion or ransom demanded, if the abduction be done by an armed
band.
(Signed) " L. R. Wilflet,
" Aitorney-General."
SLAVERY AND PEONAGE 695
He was charged mth illegal detention in connection with
the admitted sale, by him, of an Ifugao girl named
Gamaya.'
He was convicted in the Court of First Instance. I
quote the following extract from the decision of the court :
"The Congress of the United States has declared that human
slavery shall not exist in these islands and while no law, so far
as I can discover, has yet been passed either defining slavery in
these islands or affixing a punishment for those who engage in
this inhuman practice as dealers, buyers, sellers, or derivers, the
facts established in this case show conclusively that the child
Jimaya was by the defendant forcibly and by fraud, deceit and
threats unlawfully deprived of her liberty and tliat his object
and purpose was an unlawful and illegal one, to wit, the sale of
the child for money into human slavery. This constitutes the
crime of Detencion ilegal defined and penalized by Article 481
of the Penal Code and this Com't finds the defendant guilty as
charged in the information."
The case was promptly appealed to the Supreme Court
and was there lost on March 16, 1907.
Gamaya, a thirteen-year-old Ifugao girl, had been
purchased from her mother for pigs, hens, rice and
a cloak, under the absurd pretext that the object of the
purchase was to keep her at home, where she would, of
course, naturally have remained in any event. She was
allowed to stay with her mother during a period of some
three years. In this manner the purchaser was saved
the cost of boarding her while she was growing up. Hav-
ing now reached what the Igorots consider a marriage-
able age, she was sold to a man who was engaged in the
business of buying in Nueva Vizcaya children to sell in
the lowlands of Isabela ; in other words, to a slave dealer.
He sold her to an inhabitant of the town of Caoayan, in
Isabela, who had instructed him to buy a girl. Caoayan
is distant many days of hard overland travel from this
girl's home. Wlien taken there she was among an alien
• Also written " Jamaya."
696 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
people of another tribe and another religion, and although,
as stated by the Supreme Court, she was not kept under
lock and key and although that court held that : —
"... There can be no unlawful detention under article
481 of the Penal Code without confinement or restraint of per-
son, such as did not exist in the present case."
and held further that : — •
"Under the complaint for this crime it is possible to convict
for coaccion under proof of the requisites of that offence . . .
but among those requisites is that of violence through force or
intimidation, even under the liberal rule of our jurisprudence
. . . ; consequent!}' the charge of coaccion against the accused
cannot be sustained upon the evidence."
it is nevertheless true that this child, who had been
thrice sold, was detained just as effectively in Caoayan
as if chained to a post in the house of the man who bought
her, and was required by him to perform menial labour
without compensation. It would have been utterly im-
possible for her to escape and to make her way back
through Isabela and Nueva Vizcaya to her own people,
no matter how strenuously she might have endeavoured
to do so.
It is extremely difficult to prove forcible detention in
connection with most cases of slavery in these islands.
Negrito slaves are usually purchased when mere babes
and later have no recollection of their parents or of their
former wild life in the hills. Babes or very young chil-
dren bring a better price than do older children, for the
reason that they are less likely to run away.
Adult Negritos, and adult members of other tribes
held in slavery, have, as a rule, been made to feel the heavy
hand of the oppressor and are so afraid of their lives that
they will not testify. Only under very exceptional cir-
cumstances will they admit that they are being held
against their will, although they are quick to make their
escape when a favourable opportunity presents itself.
SLAVERY AND PEONAGE 697
The difficulty involved in protecting these simple
people is illustrated by the following case which came to
my personal attention : —
An eleven-year-old Bukidnon girl was carried away from
northern Mindanao to Bohol by a Filipino school-teacher
who had been discharged from the insular service. Her
parents gave every indication of bitter grief and begged
to have their daughter restored to them. This was finallj-
accomplished, to their great joj^, as a result of my efforts.
The kidnapper was ultimately brought into court, but
before the case came up for trial the parents had been
subjected to such "influence" that when called to the
witness-stand they swore that the kidnapper had taken
their daughter with their full knowledge and consent.
In order to be reasonably effective, laws in these islands
must be so framed as to make it possible to protect people
too ignorant, or too timid, to protect themselves.
Returning now to the Supreme Court decision, the
court also held that : —
"... the defendant appears to have engaged in the business
of bujang in Nueva Vizcaya children to sell in the lowlands
of Isabela."
But it further held that : —
"Not even the abhorrent species of traffic apparentlj'' carried
on by the accused justifies a sentence not authorized by law."
More important still, the court held that : —
"The judge below quotes the Bill of Rights of the Philippines
contained in the Act of Congress of July 1, 1902, declaring that
'neither slaverj' nor involuntarj^ ser\'itude, except as a punish-
ment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted,
shall exist in said Islands.' This constitutional provision is
self-acting whenever the natiu^e of a case permits and any law
or contract providing for the servitude of a person against liis
will is forbidden and is void. For two obvious reasons, how-
ever, it fails to reach the facts before us : —
"First. The emplojTnent or custody of a minor with the
consent or sufferance of the parents or guardian, although
698 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
against the child's own will, cannot be considered involuntary
servitude.
"Second. We are dealing not with a civil remedy but with
a criminal charge, in relation to which the Bill of Rights defines
no crime and provides no punishment. Its effects cannot be
carried into the realm of criminal law without an act of the
legislature,"
and also that : —
"To sum up this case, there is no proof of slavery or even of
involuntary servitude, inasmuch as it has not been clearly
shown that the child has been disposed of against the will of
her grandmother or has been taken altogether out of her con-
trol. If the facts in this respect be interpreted otherwise, there
is no law applicable here, either of the United States or of the
Archipelago, punishing slavery as a crime."
In view of the facts above cited the necessity for legis-
lation seemed obvious.
The commission in its capacity as sole legislative body
for the territory inhabited by Moros or other non-Chris-
tian tribes might have passed an act prohibiting and
penalizing slavery, involuntary servitude and peonage in
that territory ; but such an act unless supplemented by
a similar one applicable to the neighbouring Filipino ter-
ritory where most of the slaves are actually held would
obviously have been ineffective, while the desirability of
having uniform legislation throughout the PhiUppines
was evident.
The Philippine Assembly was about to meet for the
first time. The work of drafting a proper bill was duly
provided for and I am sure that no member of the com-
mission for a moment entertained the belief that there
would be any difficulty in securing the concurrence of the
assembly in the passage of a reasonable act prohibiting
and penalizing slavery, involuntary servitude, peonage
and the sale and purchase of human beings. The gentle-
man charged with drafting the bill encountered difficulty
in so framing it that it would accomplish the desired end
SLAVERY AND PEONAGE 699
without unduly interfering with the rights of parents over
their children. Long delay ensued.
I myself finally drafted a bill entitled : "An Act pro-
hibiting slavery, involuntary servitude, peonage, or the
sale of human beings in the Philippine Islands," and in-
troduced it in the commission.
It was passed, in sHghtly amended form, on April 29,
1909, and sent to the Philippine assembly, where it was
introduced on May 6, 1909. On May 7 it was referred to
the Committee on Revision of Laws, and on May 17 it was
returned by that committee with the following report : —
"May 17, 1909.
"Mr. Speaker: The committee concurs with the Commis-
sion in the approval of Bill No. 100 with the following amend-
ments :
"(a) That the word 'slavery' be stricken out of the title of
the Act, because it does not exist in the Philippines.
" (6) That from section 1, page 1, lines 7 and 8, the following
words be stricken out: 'take the fruits of his labours, compel
him to deliver to another the fruits of his labours,' since the
acts contained therein constitute other crimes that may be
robo, hurto, or estafa.
" (c) From line 11 in the same section the words : 'less than
six months nor;' and from line 12 the words: 'less than one
hunched pesos and not ; ' because the acts penalized in section 1
may be of such slight importance that they should not deserve
a punishment of imprisonment for six months or a fine of one
hundred pesos.
"(d) From line 22 (p. 2), the word: 'peso,' substituting for
it: 'two pesos and a half.'
"With these enactments Commission Bill No. 100 is dra-WTi
up, according to the one attached hereto.
"For these reasons the committee submits for the considera-
tion of the Assembly Commission Bill No. 100 and recommends
its approval with the amendments introduced.
"Respectfully submitted.
(Signed) "Aguedo Velarde,
" Chairman, Committee on Revision of Laws.
"To the Honourable,
"The Speaker of the Philippine Assembly."
700 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
This report, if adopted, would have emasculated the
bill by striking out the minimum penalties, but it was
not adopted. On May 19 the assembly laid the bill on
the table without discussion.
So began a long struggle to secure the cooperation of
the assembly in the enactment of legislation on this im-
portant subject.
I did not feel that the assembly ought to be allowed to
make a joke of the provision of the Act of Congress of
July 1, 1902, that "Neither slavery, nor involuntary ser-
vitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the
party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist in said
islands," and inserted a frank statement of the case in
my annual report. During my absence it was cut out
by the governor-general acting on the cabled suggestion
of General, then Colonel, Mclntyre, speaking for the
secretary of war. The Secretary, it is understood, based
his decision on the statement of alleged facts and the
argument in the above-mentioned memorandum pre-
pared by General McIntjTe, and signed by General
Edwards, then chief of the bureau of insular affairs.
Various of these statements of alleged facts were incorrect,
and much of the argument was fallacious, but the toute
ensemble was plausible, and likely to mislead any one not
thoroughly famihar with local conditions in the Phihp-
pines. I did not see this communication until three
years later, and so had no opportunity seasonably to
discuss it, or to present my side of the case.
On learning that all reference to slavery had been cut
out of my report, I sent the following memorandum to the
governor-general : — ■
"Baguio, February 28, 1909.
" Memorandum far the Honourable the Governor-General.
"Practices in the matter of purchasing and practically en-
slaving the children of wild people, and holding wild people
in the state of peonage, closely approaching slavery, are more
grave and more common than is ordinarily understood here ;
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SLAVERY AND PEONAGE 701
and, in my opinion, as stated in my report, ought to be brought
to the attention of the Congress of the United States if the situa-
tion is not dealt with effectively by the Philippine Legislature
at its next regular session.
"I do not object to the omission from my report of the
matter treating on this subject, mth the understanding that a
strong effort will be made here to secure legislation which will,
at least, penahze the sale for cash or other valuable considera-
tion of human beings.
"As things stand at present, we should be placed in a some-
what embarrassing situation if any one thoroughly acquainted
with the facts were to ask us what we had done to make effec-
tive the provisions of the Act of Congress prohibiting slavery.
"Dean C. Worcester,
"Secretary of the Interior."
The following year I introduced in the commission the
bill which the assembly had rejected. Action upon it
was postponed, pending the receipt of information which
was requested from the assembly as to the reason for the
failure of that body to pass it the preceding year. Shortly
after this was obtained in the form of the above-quoted
extract from the minutes of that body I was called to the
United States and no further action was taken in the
matter at that time, although the Governor-General in
his message to the Legislature had included the follo"ning
recommendation : —
"There is no express provision of law prohibiting slavery or
involuntary servitude in the Philippine Islands. While the law
pro\ad(>s certain methods of punishing the practice of slaver}',
as for example, the law for illegal detention, yet it does not seem
right that an enhghtened and modern country should have no
way of punishing the purchase or sale of human flesh. It is
recommended that this be remedied by appropriate legislation
at the coming session."
I had also again attempted to discuss this important
matter in my annual report.
I myself reached Washington at about the time this
document arrived there, but that part of it dealing with
702 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
slavery and peonage was cut out without either consult-
ing me or giving me a hearing. I was advised by General
Mclntyre that the secretary had disapproved it.
In writing to me under date of January 11, 1913, Mr.
Dickinson said : —
" I have read with much interest the copy of your communi-
cation of October 28, 1912, with the Acting Governor-General
in regard to the law prohil:)iting slavery. The whole matter
interests me very much and is very enlightening to me.
"I note what you say in regard to the matter coming up
during my administration and the memorandiun made by
General Edwards. My memory may be badly at fault, but I
really cannot recall that this matter ever came to my personal
attention. I may have forgotten it among the many hundreds
of things that came before me, but I certainly have no recol-
lection in regard to it."
I am quite prepared to believe that the matter was
never allowed to come to his personal attention !
On January 31, 1911, I again introduced this bill in
the commission. It was amended in minor details and
passed on that date and was duly forwarded to the assem-
bly. There it was introduced on February 2 and on
February 3 was laid on the table. I here give the full
record. It is significant as showing the lack of interest
displayed by the assembly in this important subject.
"An Act pRomsiTiNG Slavery
" The Speaker. Commission Bill No. 88 is submitted to the
House for consideration. Read the bill.
"The Secretary, [reading]. . . .
"Senor Sotto. The Committee on Revision of Laws pro-
poses that this bill be laid on the table.
"The Speaker. Is there any objection?
" The House. None.
" The Speaker. On the table."
In my report as secretary of the interior for the fiscal
year ended June 30, 1911, I again took up this subject.
SLAVERY AND PEONAGE 703
After this report had been submitted to the commission
I myself cut out all mention of slavery at the request of
Governor-General Forbes, who urged that we make a
last effort to get the assembly to act before appealing to
Congress.
In spite of the desirabihty of having uniform legisla-
tion on such a matter as this in adjacent provinces, the
commission felt that it could no longer with propriety
delay action for the territory under its exclusive jurisdic-
tion, and on August 7, 1911, passed the bill for Agusan,
Nueva Vizcaya and the Mountain Pro^^nce.
The same act was again passed by the commission for
the territory under the jurisdiction of the legislature,
when that body reconvened. The assembly referred it
to committee on October 27, 1911, and tabled it without
discussion on February' 1, 1912.
In my annual report for 1912 I included the follo\\ang
recommendation : —
"That for the adequate protection of the non-Christian tribes
a final and earnest effort be made to secure the concurrence of
the Philippine Assembly in the passage for the territory under
the jurisdiction of the Philippine Legislature of an Act identical
with, or similar to. Act No. 2071, entitled 'An Act prohibiting
slavery, involuntary se^^•itude, peonage, and the sale or pur-
chase of human beings in the ^Mountain Province and the
Provinces of Nueva Vizcaya and Agusan, and providing pun-
ishment therefor,' and that in the event of failure, the attention
of Congress be called to this important matter to the end that
it may pass adequate legislation if it deems such a course in the
public interest."
This time I sent the copy for the report to the printer
without awaiting further possible requests or orders to
remain silent, for I was thoroughly convinced that it was
useless to expect action from the assembly and that
nothing remained but to appeal to congress to pass sup-
pletory legislation making effective the provision of the
Act of July 1, 1902, prohibiting slavery and involuntary
servitude in the PhiUppine Islands.
704 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
At the next session of the legislature the commission
again passed the bill. The assembly referred it to com-
mittee on October 26, and tabled it without discussion on
January 8, 1913.
From the above record it will be plain that, beginning
in 1909, the commission passed laws prohibiting and penal-
izing slavery and peonage annually during four successive
years, and that the assembly tabled each of the four
measures without deigning to give any of them one
moment's discussion. Much less have they ever asked
for any information as to the necessity for such legislation.
While no member of the assembly had ever made any
official statement on the subject, the Fihpino press had
on various occasions denounced me as a liar or an igno-
ramus, and an enemy of "the Filipino people," for saying
that slavery existed.
In preparation for what I deemed to be a probable re-
quest from Congress for a detailed statement of facts, I
now proceeded to get together the information on file in
government offices and courts, called upon various officers
of the government for data in their possession which had
never been made of record, and initiated new investiga-
tions, using for this purpose the poUce of Manila, the
Philippine constabulary and various other agencies.
Drawing on the abundant material thus obtained, I
began the preparation of a report to the coimnission,
recommending that the necessity for legislation be called
to the attention of Congress, and supplying abundant
data relative to the existence of slavery and peonage in
the Philippines.
Before this report was completed there occurred a most
unexpected event.
Dr. W. O. Stillman, President of the American Humane
Association, had written me months before asking about
the power of the Philippine Legislature to enact humane
legislation, and further inquiring what laws of this sort,
if any, had been enacted. In my reply I had called his
SLAVERY AND PEONAGE 705
attention to the act of the commission prohibiting slavery
and peonage in certain provinces, and to the fact that
the attitude of the assembly had prevented the enact-
ment of similar prohibitive legislation for the remaining
territory. My letter, which furnished no supporting
data, was eventually published by this gentleman and
was read in the United States Senate by Senator Borah.
On May 1, 1913, the senate passed the following resolu-
tion : —
"Resolved, That the Secretary of War be, and he is hereby,
directed to send to the Senate any and all facts bearing directly
or indirectly upon the truth of the charge publicly made that
human slavery exists at this time in the Philippine Islands and
that human beings are bought and sold in such Islands as
chattels."
The reply addressed by the secretary of war to the
president of the Senate on May 6, 1913, contains the
following statement : —
"There is not in this Department, to the knowledge of the
Secretary thereof or of the head of the Bureau having charge
of insular affairs, a record of any facts bearing directly or in-
directly upon the truth of the charge, publicly made, that
human slavery exists at this time in the Philippine Islands and
that human beings are bought and sold in such Islands as
chattels."
This was a most peculiar statement. The passage cut
out of my 1909 report was certainly on file there, and it
explicitly stated that slavery existed in the Islands.
The similar passage from my 1910 report should have
been on file there, and last but not least, when finally,
after the lapse of years, I saw the so-called "Ed-
wards" memorandiun, in reality written by General
Mclntyre, on wliich the Secretary of War had based his
action in ordering all reference to slavery cut out of my
1910 report, I had made a full reply to it, containing a
specific statement that slaverj^ and the sale of human
beings were common in certain parts of the islands and
706 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
citing certain specific cases. I had specially requested
that this communication be filed in the bureau of insular
affairs, and General Mclntyre, the chief of that bureau,
who acknowledged its receipt, could hardly have for-
gotten its existence.
The war department reported on this matter without
seeking any information from Manila. I can only con-
clude that Secretary Garrison was deceived by some ir-
responsible subordinate.
As promptly as practicable I completed my report
and sent it to the commission, which read and con-
sidered it on May 17, 1913, immediately passing the
following resolution : —
"Whereas the Act of Congress passed July 1, 1902, 'tempo-
rarily providing for civil government of the Philippine Islands
and for other purposes ' provides that ' neither slavery nor invol-
untary servitude except as a punishment for crime whereof the
parties have been duly convicted shall exist in said Islands,'
and
"Whereas the Supreme Court of the Philippine Islands in
the case of the U. S. vs. Cabanag (Vol. VIII, p. 64, Phil. Repts.),
decided on March 16, 1907, decided that 'there is no law
applicable here either of the United States or of the Archipelago
punishing slavery as a crime ; ' and
"Whereas, in order to remedy this condition in accordance
with the above-mentioned provisions of the said Act of Con-
gress, the Philippine Commission in its exclusive legislative
jurisdiction over all that part of the Philippine Islands inhabited
by Moros or other non-Christian tribes passed Act No. 2071,
and as a branch of the Philippine Legislature has in four suc-
cessive sessions passed an act prohibiting and penalizing slav-
ery, involuntary servitude, peonage, or the sale of human
beings, and
"Whereas during each of said sessions the Assembly has
failed to concur in the passage of such Act ; now, therefore, be
it
"Resolved, That the Honourable the Governor-General be
requested to send to the Honourable the Secretary of War a
copy of the proposed law entitled 'An Act prohibiting slavery,
involuntary servitude, peonage, or the sale of human beings in
the Philippine Islands ' as passed by the Commission in the last
SLAVERY AND PEONAGE 707
session of the last Legislature, but which failed of passage in
the Assembly, with the recommendation that a copy of the law be
sent to Congress wth the request that the necessary legislation
be enacted to render fully effective the above-mentioned pro-
visions of the Act of Congress of July 1, 1902."
I was subsequently requested by the governor-general
to address the report to him rather than to the com-
mission, to the end that the Filipino members of that
body might be spared the embarrassment which would
otherwise result from the necessity of voting either for
its acceptance or for its rejection, and I very wilhngly
made the requested change.
The printing of the report was delayed until July 19,
1913, and I brought it up to that date, as evidence con-
tinued to pour in.
In this document I gave specific cases of chattel slavery
in the provinces of Nueva Vizcaya, Isabela, Tarlac, Zam-
bales, Pampanga, Batangas, Palawan, Agusan, Ambos
Camarines, the Moro province, the Mountain province
and Manila itself, describing quite fully the conditions
under which Ilongots, Ifugaos, Negritos, Tagbanuas,
Manobos, Mandayas, Moros and Filipinos are bought,
sold and held as chattel slaves.
I will here only briefly summarize them.
The Negritos are savages of low mentality, and most
of them lead a nomadic or senoi-nomadic life. They
constantly get the worst of it in the struggle for existence
and to-day are found only on the islands of Mindanao,
Palawan, Tablas, Negros, Panay and Luzon, where for
the most part they inhabit very remote and inaccessible
mountain regions. Owing to their stupidity and their
extreme tunidity it is comparatively ea&y to hold them in
slavery, and they are probably thus victimized more than
are the people of any other tribe. They are constantly
warring with each other in the more remote of tlie moun-
tain regions which they inhabit. It would be going too
far to say that their moral sense has been blunted. It is
708 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
probably nearer the truth to say that they never had any.
It is therefore a simple matter for Filipino slave dealers
to arrange with Negritos for the purchase of their fellow-
tribesmen. The latter then proceed to obtain captives
by raiding some hostile group of their own people, killing
ruthlessly if occasion arises.
They are more ready than are the people of any other
Philippine tribe to sell their children or other dependent
relatives, and do this not infrequently when pressed by
hunger, a condition apt to arise because of their utter
improvidence. Unfortunately, the matter does not end
liere. It is by no means unknown for Filipinos to join
in their slave-hunting raids, or even to organize raids of
their own, kUling Negrito parents in order to get posses-
sion of their children. I submit the following case to
illustrate this latter procedure : —
"Camp Stotsenburg, Pampanga, P. I.,
"September 26, 1910.
"The Adjutant,
"Camp Stotsenburg, Pampanga, P. I.
"Sir : I have the honour to inform you that a report has this
day been made to me that a party of hostile Filipinos, about
15 in number, armed with 1 rifle, 1 revolver and the remainder
with bolos, presumably ladrones, entered a small Negrito
barrio situated about one and one half miles directly southeast
from the Post during the forenoon of Tuesday, September 20,
1910, and killed three men and carried away two small chil-
dren. I have visited the barrio and the body of one man show-
ing frightful mutilation, both head, feet and hands completely
severed from the body, was found. This settlement is situated
in a dense jungle and the other bodies were presumably carried
away or hidden, so that they could not be found.
"But one person can be found who witnessed the affair,
an aged Negrito woman, who can scarcely walk from the
treatment she received at the hands of these outlaws. She
states that she would bo able to recognize and identify some
of the party. I am informed by Negritos living in the vicinity
that this party of outlaws has a rendezvous a short distance
east of Solbac where they might be apprehended.
"The killing took place without the reservation, but the
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SLAVERY AND PEONAGE 709
matter is of sufficient importance, since all the Negritos living
in the vicinity of the post are greatly excited and distm-bed, to
warrant the recommendation that it be referred to the Senior
Inspector of Constabulary, San Fernando, Pampanga, P. I., for
such action as he may desire to take.
"Very respectfully,
(Signed) "Kyle Rucker,
" 1st Lieut, and Squadron Adjutant, 14th Cav. Intelligence Officer."
The subsequent fate of these Negrito children is made
plain by the following letter : —
"Philippine Constabulary,
"San Fernando, Pampanga, P. I.,
" October 4, 1910.
"My Dear Holmes: We have a case up here of murder
committed near the to^vn of Angeles in which several Negritos
are mixed up.
"We managed to locate two Negrito children who had been
sold by the man who killed their father. They were in the
possession of a man named Ambrocio David who says he paid
sixty pesos for them and says they are his property.
"I think that we can convict the murderer of the children's
father, if we can catch him, but this sale of Negritos has gone
such a pace that almost every family in Pampanga has at
least one as a 'Companion' of their children, they say, but
really as a slave.
"The Fiscal says there is no law against the sale or purchase
of Negritos and I cannot find it, although I seem to remember
a law, but whether it alludes to Negritos or only Moros I am
unable to say.
"If there is a law, what number is it, and if not, can you get
me an opinion of the Attorney-General or some ruling so as to
show us how to act in this and future cases of this kind.
"Yrs.
"W.S. North,
"S. I."
In this case one of the kidnappers was convicted of
murder, but nothing could be done to him for selUng the
Negrito children nor could anything be done to Senor
Ambrocio David for buying the children or for claiming
that they were his property.
710 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
Like many primitive peoples, the Negritos are inordi-
nately fond of strong alcoholic drinks. It is strictly
against the law to give or sell any of the white man's
liquors to them, but this naturally does not restrain slave
hunters, who frequently get adults deeply intoxicated and
then trade with them for their children or kidnap the
drunken persons themselves and drag them away.
Negritos are held to-day in bondage, in considerable num-
bers, in provinces like Zambales, Pampanga, Tarlac, Panga-
sinan and Cagayan. Wliile they are not displayed for
sale in any market in Pampanga, they can be readily
negotiated for in several cUfferent public markets of that
province ; and if none happen to be available at the
moment, the would-be purchaser is assured that the
supply in the mountains is inexhaustible and that his
needs can soon be met.
The publication of my report has caused consternation
among slave owners in many provinces. Some slaves
have since escaped and little effort has been made to re-
capture them. Others have been voluntarily set free
by their masters, but in Pampanga the trade still goes
merrily on. Until recently Negritos have been peddled
around the country adjacent to Manila like carabaos or
horses, and it is but a short time since their purchasers
have in some instances refused to give them up, stoutly
asseverating that they were their property. Now, how-
ever, warned by experience, owners make no such claim,
but advance various more or less ingenious explanations
of the fact that they have Negritos in their possession
and deny that they are slaves. Some of them insist that
it is a Negrito custom to kill orphan children, and that
they have taken orphans out of kindness in order to save
their lives. Patient investigation has failed to show the
existence of any such custom among the Negritos.
Perhaps the commonest procedure of all is to claim
that Negrito slaves are "adopted children" or "members
of the family." The presumption against a Filipino's
SLAVERY AND PEONAGE 7H
taking into his family one of these little woolly-headed,
black, dwarf savages is strong. In no single case have I
been able to obtain evidence of real, legal adoption. The
following document illustrates the procedure which seems
invariably to have been followed : —
"On the 25th of December, 1912, I, the authorized curate of
this district, Lubao, Pro\'ince of Pampanga, baptized solemnly,
and put on the blessed Okos in this church in my charge on
one Negrita ten and eight years of age (18), and have given
the name of Juana, daughter of a father poor and unknown.
The foster mother. Dona Pia Vitug, married in this towTi
received the charge as a parent to care for the spiritual welfare
and other obligations.
"I for the truth sign,
"Friar Pedro Diez."
(Girl given the name of Juana de Jesus Vitug.)
A document of this sort imposes no legal obligation
whatever on the owner of a slave, and makes no change
in the status of the slave, but merely serves as a basis
for the claim that he or she "is treated as a member of
the family."
This is a cheap and easy method of securing a slave, and
the child thus "adopted" may be compelled to labour for
a lifetime without compensation, or turned over for a
consideration to be similarly "adopted" by some one else.
Other Filipinos who do not claim that their Negrito
slaves are members of their families find complete justi-
fication for purchasing them in the allegation that they
have taken them to Christianize, thus preventing their
going to hell !
In the provinces of Agusan and Surigao the slave-
taking raids of the Mandayas and Manobos are historic.
In the more remote parts of these provinces they continue
from time to time up to the present day. "VMiile one
of them lies within the territory for which the com-
mission has been able to legislate, what shall we say
of those who contend that slavery does not exist in the
712 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
Philippine Islands in the face of such occurrences as have
taken place there? The same query holds for the sub-
province of Ifugao in the Mountain Province and for
Nueva Vizcaya. The Ifugaos have been especially vic-
timized. The following kinds of servitude are recognized
by them : —
Jim-hut. This is the name applied to real slaves.
The Jim-hut becomes an article of commerce and often
changes owners several times before reaching the country
of the Ba-li-uon (Christians).
Nij-cop. This is the name applied to children who have
been really adopted under a formal contract made with
their parents or nearest relatives in case the parents are
dead. The Nij-cop acquire certain property rights from
their new parents-by-adoption.
Baj-dl. Tliis is the name given to orphan children
who have been formally taken in charge by some well-to-
do Ifugao and who are unable to support themselves.
The Baj-dl is a tentative Nij-cop, for if he turns out to be
bright and industrious, he may become a member of the
family and acquire property rights.
Ta-gd-Ia. Tliis is the name applied to servants who
receive regular compensation.
It is a matter of common knowledge throughout the
sub-province that there are li\ang to-day in Isabela hun-
dreds of Ifugaos who have been sold to Filipinos as slaves.
In Nueva Vizcaya it has been possible to deal with the
more flagrant cases since the passage by the commission
of the law above referred to, but the conamission is power-
less to pass a law effective in Isabela.
The holders of slaves now seek to evade the law by
nominally hiring them at a monthly salary wliich is not
paid. The promulgation of Act No. 2071 prohibiting and
penalizing slavery enabled Lieutenant-Governor Jeff D.
Galhnan of Ifugao to liberate some forty boys and girls
held by Filipinos in Nueva Vizcaya. In no single case,
however, could it be proved that the child had been sold.
SLAVERY AND PEONAGE 713
The persons who held them testified in each instance that
they were "hired servants."
When they learned of the provisions of the above-
mentioned act they were easily prevailed upon to pay.
"salaries" long overdue to their "servants" and the
latter were allowed to return to their homes.
It was found that some of the persons originally sold
into slavery in Nueva Vizcaya had run away from their
masters and become vagabonds. Few really wanted to
return to their parents, whose language in many cases
they had almost forgotten.
I wish this were the worst, but the worst is yet to
come. Not only do the Filipinos buy, sell and hold the
wild people as slaves, but Filipino children have been
kidnapped, or enticed from their homes, by other Fili-
pinos, and sold as slaves to their own kind. Yomig girls
have been sold outright to Chinese who purchased and
kept them for immoral purposes. They have been sold
to panderers and keepers of houses of prostitution and
compelled to enter upon lives of shame. Filipino children
and young women have been sold to Chinese who have
taken them to China. God only knows what fate may
have befallen them there. In such cases the victims dis-
appear from these islands, never to return.
Some slaves are well treated. Others are half starved,
brutally beaten, injured or even killed. The Manobos
and Manadaj'as of Agusan and Surigao, and the Bagobos
of the Moro Province, have been accustomed to sacrifice
slaves to appease their heathen deities. The Manobos
on occasion even have their boys take lances and try
the effect of different thrusts on slaves tied to trees or
posts.
Those who desire long lists of specific cases of slavery
will find them in my report. I think that I have here
abundantly demonstrated the fact that genuine slavery
exists in the Philippine Islands. It can never be success-
fully checked until there is a law of general appUcation
714 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
throughout the archipelago penahzing the sale, barter,
or purchase of human beings. What reason has the
Philippine Assembly for refusing to pass the necessary
act?
Without hesitation I assert that, apart from false and
foolish pride which makes the persons concerned unwill-
ing to admit the fact of the existence of slavery, their
chief reason for objecting to this law is that it would not
only prohibit and penalize slavery, but would prohibit
and penalize peonage, which is so common and wide-
spread that it may properly be called general. Indeed, I
have no hesitation in asserting that it prevails in every
municipality in the Philippine Islands.
Slavery is a serious matter, but peonage is far more
serious because of the very much larger number of persons
involved. It Ues at the root of the industrial system of
the Philippines.
Much has been said relative to the probable attitude
of large American landowners toward Filipino labourers.
Thus far their attitude, and that of all other classes of
-Americans, has been infinitely better than has that of
the wealthy Filipinos themselves. The truth is that
peonage is repugnant to the average American. One of
the complaints persistently made against us by the Fili-
pinos is that we have raised the daily wage throughout
the islands, and this is true. When I was there in the
Spanish days, it was possible, in many regions, to obtain
abundant labour at five cents per day with food, and ten
cents with food was the general rule. Now the same class
of labour costs at least twenty-five cents per day with food,
and in some provinces it costs fifty cents or more. It must
be frankly admitted that Americans are responsible for this
sad condition of affairs ! American landowners who desire
to pay their employees regularly a living daily wage en-
counter difficulty in doing so, for the reason that the
labourers have become accustomed to the old system,
the evils of which they know, and are afraid of a new
Governor Frederick Johxson of Agusax.
He is holding up the butt of a huge hemp stalk. Governor Johnson continued
at his post for a year while a cancer was destroying the bones of his leg, with-
out letting any one know of his trouble. His heroism cost him his life.
1
SLAVERY AND PEONAGE 715
one, fearing that it may involve worse evils of vphich they
know nothing.
Incidentally, Americans have learned that their la-
boui-ers are worth more if well fed, and this is another
grievance held against us in certain quarters.
With many of the Filipinos it is a different story.
The rich and powerful man, commonly known as a
cacique, encourages the poor man to borrow money
from him under such conditions that the debt can never
be repaid, and holds the debtor, and frequently the
members of his family as well, in debt servitude for life.
One might fill a score of volumes with records of cases
and I can here do no more than to select a few typical
illustrations of the workings of this vicious system.
The Filipinos are born gamblers. Gambling is their
besetting sin. The poor are usually glad to get the
opportunity to borrow money, and will do this on
almost any terms, if necessary, in order to continue to
indulge in their pet vice. They are thoughtless about
their ability to repay loans, and thus readily fall into the
power of the cacique money-lenders, who thereafter use
them as house servants or labourers, under conditions
such as to render their escape from debt-servitude prac-
tically impossible.
Indeed, if they seek to escape, the caciques often threaten
them with the law, or actually invoke it against them,
while if they endeavour to homestead pubhc land and thus
better their condition, the caciques only too often cause
opposition to be made to thek claims and keep it up
until they become discouraged.
The following facts have been furnished me by Hon.
James A. Ostrand, judge of the court of land reg-
istration.
"In 1907 a woman, whose surname, I think, is Quintos,
asked me to lend her twenty-five pesos with which to 'redeem'
her daughter who had been mortgaged for that amount to a
Chinese merchant, whose name at present I do not recall, but
716 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
who had his establishment on the ground floor of the house of
Ubaldo Diaz in Lingayen. The woman stated that the China-
man was corrupting the morals of the girl, and that this was the
reason why she wanted to make the redemption. I told her
that under the circumstances no redemption was necessary, but
that I would see that the girl was allowed to leave the China-
man, who, on proper representations, was induced to let the
girl go home. She stayed with her mother for a couple of weeks
but, by adding P75 to the mortgage debt, the Chinaman got
her back and shortly before I left Lingayen I learned that the
girl, though scarcely fifteen years old, had given birth to a
child."
"In 1907 a woman from the town of Balincaguin in Pangas-
indn came to my office and stated that she, about six years
before had 'mortgaged' [the terms 'salda' in Ilocano and
'sanla' in Pangasindn are usually translated mortgage, but
also imply pledge, as the crechtor generally takes possession of
the mortgaged property] her twelve-year old son for some
twenty pesos to Don Cirilio Braganza, the member of the
second Philippine legislature for the district in which I was
then living; that her son had been working for Braganza ever
since, and that, according to her reckoning, the debt had already
been paid, but that Braganza had unjustly charged the loss
of a carabao to her son's account, thus adding P120, if I remem-
ber correctly, to the debt. She further stated that she had
asked Braganza to release the boy, but that he refused to do so.
I informed her of the provisions of the PhiUppine Bill in regard
to involuntary servitude, and advised her that her son was
free to leave Mr. Braganza's services if he so desired. She
said that if the boy should leave, she was afraid something
might happen to liim as Braganza was very influential in that
locality. I then gave her a note for Braganza requesting him
to let the boy go. Shortly afterwards Braganza came to me
and gave me his version of the case, stating that he had always
treated the boy well, and that the loss of the carabao was
entirely due to the boy's neghgence, and that he, Braganza,
would not consent to the boy's leaving him before the carabao
was paid for. At last reports the boy was still with Braganza
and may be there yet. I may add that I believe Braganza
told the truth, and that the boy was guilty of negligence in
connection with the loss of the carabao."
The net result in this case was that a boy was "mort-
gaged" for a P20 debt and after six years the debt had
SLAVERY AND PEONAGE 717
very largely increased, probably in part as a result of the
carelessness of the boy.
In a letter to Judge Ostrand I had defined peonage as
"the condition of a debtor held by his creditor in a form
of quahfied servitude to work out a debt." Of its prev-
alence the judge says : —
"While practising law in the Province of Pangasindn, dur-
ing the years 1905 to 1909, hardly a week passed but what
cases of involuntary servitude, as defined in the within communi-
cation, came under my observation."
He also calls attention to the fact that interference
with the system does not increase one's popularity : —
"Interference by third parties in cases of involuntary servi-
tude is not looked upon with favour, and is generally considered
highly reprehensible. I remember, for instance, a case where
Mr. Pedro Sison [not the member of the Legislature], then a
prominent resident of Lingayen, was, as he himself regarded
it, made the victim of unwarranted interference. A woman
bought a small parcel of land from Mr. Sison, agreeing to work
out the purchase price, forty pesos. She worked with Mr.
Sison for six years, at the end of which period the debt had
increased to over si.xty pesos, according to Mr. Sison's accounts.
In the meantime the woman became a Protestant, and Rev.
E. S. Lyons, the Methodist missionary in Pangasindn, advised
her to leave Mr. Sison's service. Upon her doing so Mr. Sison
became very indignant not only at her, but also at Mr. Lyons,
and for some time thought seriously of having the latter crimi-
nally prosecuted. He appeared to be very much surprised when
he found that there was no penal provision covering Mr. Lyons's
action. Mr. Sison was otherwise a very estimable and good-
natured man, but he never until his dying day, which occurred
a couple of years afterwards, got over his bitter resentment
toward Mr. Lyons."
Judge Ostrand summarizes the results of his observa-
tions as follows : —
"Nearly all the involuntary servitude cases of which I have
any knowledge have arisen from the practice of mortgaging
half-grown children. The sum advanced is usually some
twenty or thirty pesos. As the money seldom draws interest
718 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
at a lower rate than ten per cent a month, and the creditor
furnishes the child food and such clothing as it may need, its
services are ordinarily not considered worth more than the
amount of the interest, and the debt instead of being reduced
usually increases as the years pass. I venture to say that
among the Filipinos in some sections of the Islands the major-
ity of house servants are obtained and employed in this
manner."
It would indeed seem that with interest at the rate of
120 per cent per year and the creditor in a position to fix
his own price for food, clotliing and other necessaries fur-
nished his debtors while they were trying to work out
their debts, they would not be likely to succeed in doing
so !
In this connection I call attention to the fact that in
the course of the discussion recently caused by requests
for the resignation of certain public officials who had
been loaning money at usurious rates of interests, several
of the native papers took the attitude that 18 per cent
per year was a very moderate rate of interest.
If the unfortunate peon finally rebels, the rich cacique
often invokes the law against him by having him prose-
cuted on some false criminal charge.
In this connection the following letter is of interest : —
" Philippine Constabulary,
"Office of the Senior Inspector,
"Pampanga, San Fernando, September 26, 1912.
"The Superintendent, Information Division, P. C,
"Manila, P. I.
" (Thru' Adjutant, District of Central Luzon.)
" Sir : Reference to the prosecution of Maria Guzman
before the Justice of the Peace of Apalit for 'Infraction of
Law 2098 ' (your file No. 8634-75) I have the honour to attach
copy of decision in the case, and remarks : —
"About three (3) years ago Simeon de los Reyes, by and
with the consent of his wife Maria Guzman, borrowed and signed
receipt for fifty pesos (P50) to Maria Santos of ApaUt, con-
tracting that his wife work out the debt moulding earthen jars
— that for every hundred jars made Maria Guzman received
SLAVERY AND PEONAGE 719
?1, 25 centavos of which was to go on the debt. The woman
states she could make about fifty jars per week, so that her
actual wages were 50 centavos per week, or $.005 per jar. This
without board, as the woman states that any money she got
for food was charged on original debt.
"By the first part of this year the debt had 'decreased' to
P70, when another receipt for that amount was signed by the
husband, de los Reyes, and the old receipt for P50 destroyed.
In the month of August ultimo the Santos woman refused to
advance Maria Guzman more money, so Maria Guzman left
and joined her husband, who was working in Manila. The
debt at time of trial amounted to F79 and a fraction.
"Warrants of this nature are being continually sent from
Pampanga, either by messenger or mail, direct to the Superin-
tendent Information Division, without passing through my
hands. The reason is evident.
"It is respectfully requested that in the future all warrants
reaching your office in this way be referred back to me before
execution.
"Very respectfully,
(Signed) "L. T. Rohreb,
"Senior Inspector."
This woman, if she succeeded in making fifty earthen
jars per week, received wages amounting to twenty-five
cents against which her creditor charged her food and
doubtless also her clothing. In other words, she was in
effect charged for the privilege of making fifty jars per
week for her master. The interest on her debt was
meanwhile piUng up while the principal steadily increased,
and when she grew weary of her hopeless task and ran
away, her taskmaster prosecuted her.
The following letter presents a typical case of peonage :
"ROSALES,
"March 26, 1912.
"Chief of the Secret Service Dept., Manila :
"Dear Sib: On behalf of Garegorio Ahnario a young girl
residing at my house I write to ask you if you cannot have this
matter attended to.
"Six years ago a man named Tomas Almario, li\-ing at pres-
ent in Rosales, borrowed some money (twenty pesos only).
720 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
This man was unable to repay this money so he sold this girl
named Inocencia Almario to a Mr. Galban. I think he is the
President of Bautista. Her sister has been to Bautista to take
this girl away but she has been rebuked by these people in my
presence. They state she owes F60 the extra P40 being interest
on the P20 borrowed 6 years ago. They have got this girl and
another girl working as slaves and to-day I heard that the girl es-
caped in a carromatta but they sent an automobile after her and
took her into Bautista beating her all the way. In the interest of
justice I hope you will have this girl released and hand her
over to her sister in my house here out of the hands of those
wretches. I also found out that this girl is being sent from
place to place amongst men who take girls to cover debts. If
you send a man here to Rosales I have the proof and will show
you where this girl is and will get the evidence against these
people. I understand that the President of Bautista is the
man who is at the bottom of the whole affair. I hope you will
put a stop to this slavery. I have the man here who owes the
money and sold the two girls to this man. I have the .sister
here ; also the other relatives to prove that this girl has worked
as a slave for 6 years to cover a debt of twenty pesos and now
they want 60 before they will release her. Please release my
sister and oblige
"Yours truly,
" j[her mark] Garegorio Almario.
Witness: (Signed) "W.A.Cole.
"Address Garegorio Almario,
"c/o W. A. Cole, Rosales, Pang."
I have not made the slightest effort to get the peonage
records of PhiUppine assemblymen, but have taken cases
as they came, yet three of the limited number here dis-
cussed concern members or ex-members of the assembly.
Is it any wonder that that body refuses to consider a law
prohibiting and penaUzing peonage ?
My investigation of tliis matter has developed some
interesting phases of human nature. Knowing the cer-
tain unpopularity which would result from telling the
truth, not a few persons who might have given valuable
testimony refused to tell what they knew, or even denied
that they knew anything. Others made written state-
ments which I was unable to use, as they insisted that
SLAVERY AND PEONAGE 721
their names be withheld, and I wanted testimony only
from witnesses who had the courage of their convictions.
Fortunately there was no lack of people unafraid to tell
the truth. Among witnesses to the existence of chattel
slavery were army officers, constabulary officers, the
Manila chief of police and many men of the police force
of that city, judges, CathoUc priests, the mother superior
of a convent, the insular auditor and a number of his
deputies, provincial governors, both Filipino and Ameri-
can, provincial treasurers, the director of education,
school teachers, an ethnologist, newspaper men, business
men and women both English and American. I accepted
only written and signed statements. The long list of
cases in my official report was a sample list, not an ex-
haustive one. I stand ready to furnish specific instances
of chattel slavery, ad nauseam, giving names of slaves,
their vendors and purchasers, prices paid and dates of
transactions. I hold more than a thousand tj^aewritten
pages of evidence, and it continued to come in up to the
day of my departure from Manila.
The attitude of the Filipino politicians toward this
great mass of data and the witnesses who fm-nished it is a
most interesting study, from which may be deduced logical
conclusions of far-reaching importance. Let us examine
it.
In the issue of the Boston Herald for June 24, 1912, Sr.
Quezon, resident delegate from the Philippines to Con-
gress, published an article entitled "The Filipinos as
Legislators," ' attacking Governor-General Forbes for re-
ferring in a public speech to the attitude of the assembly
on the slavery question. I will quote and comment on
its essential statements : —
"The fact that the Assembly has refused to approve of the
bill referred to by Governor Forbes, bespeaks the legislative
ability of our Assemblymen, while, on the other hand, the pas-
• Republished in "Slavery and Peonage," pp. 37-39.
722 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
sage by the Commission of said bill indicates either the incom-
petency or the negligence of the Commissioners. Do we have
slavery and compulsory service in the Philippines or not? If
we do not, the bill to abolish it is umiecessary. If we do, it is
also unnecessary, because the Act passed by Congress, creating
the present Philippine Government, which serves as our con-
stitution, already prohibits slavery and compulsory service,
and, therefore, no act of the Philippine Legislature is needed
to declare it illegal."
This is a puerile quibble. The act referred to pro-
hibits slavery, but does not penalize it.
"If there is slavery and compulsory service in the Philip-
pines, the Governor-General as the Chief Executive, and the
members of the Philippine Commission, who, ^vith the Governor-
General, compose the executive department of the Islands, are
all of them guilty in not enforcing and executing the constitu-
tion of the Archipelago."
False. The Supreme Court of the Philippines has held
that the "constitution" here referred to is non-enforceable
without exactly such suppletory legislation as the com-
mission passed and the assembly tabled.
"If there is anything in the PhiHppines akin to slavery or
compulsory service, it can not be found in the provinces to
which the legislative jurisdiction of the Assembly extends."
Utterly false.
"Should there be such a thing in the territories inhabited
by the few non-Christian Filipinos, which are under the exclu-
sive control of the Phihppine Commission, I am sure the slave-
holders can only be the Government officials, who are ap-
pointed by the Secretary of the Interior, the Honourable DeanC.
Worcester, the head of the executive department in charge of
said territories."
False and absurd. The larger majority of existing
slaves are held by Christian Filipinos. Not a single
official in the territory in question was subject to appoint-
ment or removal by me. Not one has ever owned a slave,
z
o
a
<
3^
SLAVERY AND PEONAGE 723
to my knowledge. This statement illustrates Quezon's
disregard for the truth.
"It will not be out of place to indicate here the reason where-
for the Philippine Commission has passed the bill alluded to by-
Governor Forbes. The members of the PhiUppine Commis-
sion are sternly opposed to Philippine independence. More-
over, they are opposed to allowing the Filipino people to have a
legislature wholly constituted of natives for reasons too apparent
to be mentioned. One of their everyday arguments is 'that
the premature withdrawal of the United States would result
in the establishment of an oligarchy composed of small and
favoured ruling classes who would oppress the masses.'
"The passage by the PhiUppine Commission of the anti-
slavery bill placed the PhiUppine Assembly in a very awkward
position (as it was perhaps intended to do) ; to concur in the
passage of the bill was to admit that there is such a thing as
slavery and compulsory service in the Philippines, which is not
a fact. To reject the bill would be construed as incUcating that
the members of the Assembly were advocates of slavery. The
moral courage of our AssembljTuen was shown when they took
the former course, that of truth. The members of the Com-
mission denounce the attitude of their colegislators as proof of
lack of sjTnpathy for the masses of the people."
False, interesting, and important. There were four
rUipino members of the commission at this time, all of
whom were in favour of ultimate independence, and one
of whom was a leading advocate of immediate independ-
dence. AU voted for the anti-slavery laws which the
assembly refused to pass.
The Fihpinos were not w^holly to blame for the existence
of slavery at the time of the American occupation, but the
politicians are unable to grasp the fact that the way to
deal with a cancer is to cut it out, not to deny its exist-
ence, and by their refusal to legislate have now made
themselves fully responsible for the continued existence
of slavery and peonage in the regularly organized pro\dnces
of the Philippines. The FiUpino newspapers have even
gone so far as to claim that there could be no slavery
until a law defined it, hence to enact such a law would
create slavery.
724 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
Resident Commissioners Earnshaw and Quezon were
prompt and emphatic in their denials of the existence of
slavery when Senator Borah read in the Senate Chamber
my letter to Dr. Stillman. Sr. Earnshaw did not know
any better. Sr. Quezon claims to know the facts. He
himself has said : —
"As a Filipino familiar with the facts in the case, I do not
hesitate to qualify the letter of Secretary Worcester as being
at once false and slanderous. It is false, because there does
not exist slavery in the Philippines, or, at least, in that part of
the country subject to the authority of the Philippine Assembly.
It is slanderous because it presents the Philippine Assembly, by
innuendo, if not openly, as a body which countenances slavery."
He was unquestionably familiar with the facts, or many
of them. Did he know of the report of the Filipino
Governor Dichoso, describing slavery in Isabela ; of that
of the Filipino Governor Corrales, describing slavery in
Misamis ; of that of the Filipino Governor Pimentel,
describing the sale of Filipino children into slavery to
Chinese ; ' of that of the American Governor George
Curry, describing slavery in Isabela ; ^ of that of the
American Governor Knight, describing slavery in Nueva
Vizcaya ; ^ of that of the Filipino Governor Sanz,"* describ-
ing the enticing from their homes of numerous Filipino
children of Romblon and the disposal of them as peons
or slaves ; of the reports of army, constabulary and
police officers ; and of the records of courts on slavery
and peonage? Under the circumstances explanation or
retraction would seem to be in order, but we have had
from him only two more puerile quibbles. In a published
statement he has said that slavery does not exist as an
institution in the Philippines. Wlio ever said it did ? It
exists there as a demonstrated fact, and it ought to
be made a crime. In another pubUshed statement,*
1 " Slavery and Peonage," pp. 14—15.
2 Ihid., p. 21. 3 /biti., pp. 23-25. * Ibid., pp. 17-19.
5 "The Filipino People," Vol. II, No. 1, p. 15, September, 1913.
SLAVERY AND PEONAGE 725
Quezon says : —
"The allegation is a most serious one and we think it desir-
able to meet the charge directh' \\ithout hesitation by asserting
that it is unqualifiedly false and that the accusations made in
the report are not only not sustained, but cannot be sustained
by any evidence tending to show that such a 'system' exists."
The placing in quotation marks of a word not used by
me fairly illustrates one of the typical methods of the
FiUpino politician, and for this reason alone I refer to it
and to the following statements from the same editorial,
which will serve a similar purpose : —
"There is a very serious aspect of this report of Commissioner
Worcester's. If the system he speaks of exists and is known to
him — indeed has been known to him for a long time — why
did he never correct it ? He says that the Philippine Assembly
has blocked action. The truth is that he and his fellows had
absolute power long before the Philippine Assembly ever came
into existence.
"... Mr. Worcester now practically admits that he knew
of similar conditions elsewhere than among the Moros, but
that he never had anything to say about them and allowed them
to go on until, it would seem, he thought that he could make
some political capital out of a controversy with the Philippine
Assembly regarding anti-slavery legislation."
It did not lie in my power to correct it. On the Philip-
pine Commission rests the full responsibility for failure
to enact anti-slavery legislation from the time when it
first learned of the existence of tliis crime among the
Filipinos until it passed its first act proliibiting and penahz-
ing it on April 29, 1909. As I have already shown, the
matter was dealt -Rdth, in 1903, by directing the inclusion
of proper legislation in a proposed new Penal Code never
completed. Valuable years were then lost in testing the
adequacy of existing law, and when it proved inadequate
further time was, in my opinion, needlessly wasted in
drafting the necessary act. To this extent, and to this
extent only, the commission shares responsibility for
VOL. II Q
726 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
existing conditions. Since April 29, 1909, that respon-
sibility has rested on the assembly alone.
I have given two of the reasons for its refusal to act.
There is another, but I should have hesitated to give it,
as it would have been hard to prove, had not Speaker
Osmena furnished the necessary evidence. He is com-
monly considered to be the leading Fihpino statesman of
the day, so special importance attaches to his utterances
and he, if any one, can speak with authority concerning
the attitude of the assembly. The ominous rumble from
the United States which reached these distant shores led
him to give out a newspaper interview explaining the in-
activity of that body. He said : —
"Never has Mr. Worcester attempted to furnish us with
the facts which he has placed before Congress. The bill itself
was sent to the Assembly for action but on account of the
unfriendliness of the members for the secretary of the interior
and the lack of sympathy between the Assembly and him, it
was not given the consideration that it would have received if
Mr. Worcester had at the same time sent us the facts which
he has sent on to the United States.
"IMr. Worcester as the secretary of the interior, and not as
commissioner was in duty bound to furnish the Assembly with
the facts that he claims to have found. It is the duty of all of
the administrative officers of the government to enlighten the
legislature and to furnish it ^\^th information gained officially
by them. As a matter of fact, Mr. Worcester showed that he
was not anxious for the Assembly to consider the matter by
never once even mentioning the subject to me, as is customary
with other matters for legislation which the secretaries have
wished taken up by the Assembly."
If this were not so pathetic it would be very, very
funny. The assembly is now made up of 81 Filipino
delegates representing 34 provinces. An unfeehng Ameri-
can secretary of the interior, residing at Manila, is
charged with having failed to inform them of what was
going on under their very noses. All information deemed
by the commission necessary to justify legislation was
SLAVERY AND PEONAGE 727
transmitted by me to that body when we lost our slavery
case in the Supreme Court.
Never dm'ing all the years that this matter has been
pending has there been the slightest suggestion that the
assembly desired to receive information concerning it.
If its members were to tell the half of what they them-
selves know about slavery and peonage the facts which I
have been able to gather would fade into insignificance,
but this is not the important thing in this interview.
The important thing is that dislike of the person who
happened to introduce in the commission a bill prohibit-
ing slavery and peonage in the Philippines is considered
a valid reason for the refusal of the assembly to consider
it during four successive years.
Shall thousands of suffering human beings be allowed
to go on sweating blood for such a reason ?
It is my earnest hope that as a result of the publicity
which has now been given this matter there will be speedy
action, either by the Philippine Legislature or by the
Congress of the United States.
I hope that every right-minded person who reads these
lines will insist that we have done \Aath concealment of
the truth and suppression of the facts ; have done with
boggling over hurting the feelings of the Filipino people ;
and will demand that those who have power to end the
disgraceful conditions which now exist in the islands
shall promptly and effectively exercise it.
The native press has naturally bitterly opposed any
investigation of the truth or falsity of my statements.
The following extract from a recent editorial is typical of
its attitude : —
"Slavery is not slavery unless it has the characteristics
of frequency and notoriousness. Is there here, or has there
ever been, at least since Christian civilization has reigned,
anything that resembles it ? Where is, or who has seen pre-
vious to now, such characteristic slavery? Mr. Worcester?
Let him point it out, let him give a detailed account of it,
728 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
let him define it. What will you bet that ho will not do so?
How is he going to do it if it does not exist ! It was enough
for him to say: "There is slavery in the Philippines" for
men, press, government officials and every stripe of public
elements in America to admit the possibility of the affirmation
and even an investigation of its likelihood to be ordered.
"That is simply absurd. The mere investigation is an offense.
The proof must come solely from, and must be demanded solely
of, him who imputes the charge. If he does not demonstrate
it, if he does not make it patent, further investigation is not
needed. All that there was to investigate is investigated: it is
that he has lied."
Nevertheless aroused public sentiment in the United
States has forced action here. Governor-General Harri-
son called the matter to the attention of the assembly
in his first speech, and that body is now ' investigating it.
Unfortunately there is grave reason to doubt its good
faith.
It allowed me to leave Manila wdthout the faintest
suggestion that it desired to hear me, and then had the
governor-general cable me an invitation to testify and
to assist in the investigation when I was halfway home
and could not possibly return.
Assemblj-man Sandoval, defending in the public press
a friend charged with buying a Tagbanua slave who had
been thrice sold, says that the several purchasers did not
buy the unfortunate man but bought his debt. A debt
is not ordinarily purchased for itself and it is admitted
that in this instance the man went with it.
The Filipino politicians have hardly approached this
matter in a judicial spirit, and the timid and the politic,
who refused to give me the information they might have
furnished, had some reason for their fears.
The removal of Judge Ostrand and Director of Educa-
tion Crone, who gave valuable testimony, was loudly de-
manded on the ground that they were "traducers of the
Filipino people."
» November 1, 1913.
a
XI a
— 03
a
o
ja
03
a
03
■a
J3
SLAVERY AND PEONAGE 729
The people were urged to "get together" and disprove
my statements.
I have been denounced as an enemy of "the Filipino
people."
It has been claimed : —
That my charges were false, and without foundation.
That, if they were true, I myself was to blame for the
continued existence of slavery.
That I pubUshed my report when I did in order to hold
my position.
That I pubhshed it when I did in anger because I had
lost my position.
That I had been removed because I pubUshed it.
In just one instance, so far as I know, has a Filipino
considered the possibiUty that the motive which actuated
me was a desire to help many thousands of unfortunate
human beings.
Good old Arcadio del Rosario, at one time insurgent
governor of Benguet, who has a kindly feeUng for the
wild-men and was glad to note certain immediate results
which followed the pubUcation of my report, has said :
"Would that Sr. Osmefia' might have had the glory
of doing what Sr. Worcester has done."
What is needed to end slavery and peonage is con-
gressional legislation enforced by Americans.
Without hesitation I assert that their existence in the
Phihppine Islands is the greatest single problem which
there confronts the government of the United States, in
its effort to bviild up a respectable and responsible elec-
torate and establish representative government.
Is it reasonable to suppose that the hand which to-day
crushes down the Fihpino servant, the FiUpino labourer,
and the wild-man of the hills, will to-morrow raise them
up and point them on the way to freedom ?
' Speaker of the Assembly.
CHAPTER XXVI
Murder as a Governmental Agenct
In discussing the prevalence of slavery in the Philip-
pine Islands, Sr. Manuel Quezon has stated that it has
never existed there as an institution. This is true, to
the extent at least that it has never been recognized as
a legal institution, nor directed nor authorized by order
of any competent governmental authority. The same
statements cannot be truthfully made with reference to
murder, as I shall conclusively show by the records of
the Insurgent government.
I wish at the outset to draw a sharp line between acts
of barbarity or ferocity, coixmiitted without authority by
ignorant and irresponsible Insurgent officers or soldiers
during the heat of battle or as the result of passions
aroused by armed strife, and those which I now discuss.
The former must be regarded as breaches of military
discipline. Aguinaldo sought to protect his government
from their consequences by issuing endless orders in Span-
ish strictly forbidding them.
His troops were ordered again and again to respect
American prisoners and treat them with humanity.
So far as concerns his own people, however, he dis-
played a very different spirit from the outset.
As we have already noted there exists among the In-
surgent records a document written in Tagalog by him,
and therefore obviously not intended for the informa-
tion of Americans, which contains the following : —
" Any person who fights for his country has absolute power
to kill any one not friendly to our cause." '
1 P. I. R., 206. 1.
730
MURDER AS A GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY 731
Aguinaldo armed not only ignorant and irresponsible
people, but thieves, outlaws and miu-derers, and turned
them loose on the common people with blanket authority to
kill whomsoever they would, and they promptly proceeded
to exercise it. "Dukut"^ stretched out its bloody hand
even in Manila, mider the very eye of American officers,
and as often as not struck down wholly innocent victims.
Aguinaldo was not alone in his views on the subject of
murder. Felipe Agoncillo, long secretary of the Hong-
kong junta, and official representative of the Insurgent
govermnent in Europe and the United States, wrote
him on August 1, 1898, from Hongkong, suggesting that
he kill the Spanish prisoners "if the country requires"
that this be done, and adding, "if you deem it wise you
should secretly issue an order to kill the friars that they
may capture." -
Obviously Aguinaldo did not deem it wise to order the
murder of the Spanish prisoners as a whole, nor that of
the friars as a whole.
The following letter, marked "confidential," addressed
to liis cousin Baldomero Aguinaldo, for a tune the Insur-
gent secretary of war, tells a significant tale of the course
finally decided upon : —
"Filipino Republic,
" Office of the Military Governor,
" Malolos, February 17, 1S99.
" Senor Secretary of War : —
"Referring to your note in regard to an unhealthy town
or place in the pro\ance of Nueva Ecija fit for the concentra-
tion there of the friars ; beside the town of Bongabong there is
' Dukut means secret assassination.
- "I was informed that some Spanish prisoners have succeeded in
escaping. It is necessary to redouble vigilance upon them, especially
upon the officers of rank and upon the friars, because said prisoners
might be of great use to us later on. They should, however, be well
treated, but without giving them liberty, and confined within prison
walls. If the country requires that they should be killed, you should
do so. If you deem it wise, you should secretly issue an order to kill
the friars that they may capture. They should be frightened." —
P. I. R., 471. 4.
732 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
no good place except the town of La Paz in the province of
Tarlac, because, according to my observation, even the per-
sons born there are attacked by malarial fever and ague and if
they are strangers very few will escape death.
"Your always faithful subordinate,
(Signed) " Isidoro Torres.
" 17th February, 1899." '
Evidently General Torres' recommendation was favour-
ably acted upon, for among the papers of the Insurgent
government is a memorandum,' apparently in Aguinaldo's
handwriting, stating that — ■
"there were 297 Spanish friars held prisoners in Luzon, and
that on February 17, 1899, those in Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, and
Pampanga, 111 in all, had been ordered by him to be concen-
trated in La Paz" !
In many mstances other prisoners were murdered out-
right. This hard fate befell three Spaniards, of whom
one was a friar, and two were shipwrecked Englishmen,
who were butchered in Zambales in December, 1899, upon
the approach of the American troops, apparently by the
order of the governor, Vicente Camara.^
On Febioiary 15, 1900, an expedition under the inune-
diate command of Brigadier-General J. M. Bell sailed
from Manila under the personal supervision of Major-
General Bates. This was composed of troops detailed
to take possession of North and South Camarines and
Albay, to which provinces Insurgent troops, having many
Spanish prisoners in their possession, had been forced
to retire as a result of the operations in Tayabas Prov-
ince. In compliance with these instructions the town of
Daet was occupied after some resistance and the Insur-
gents in that quarter were driven to the northeast, tak-
ing with them a number of Spanish prisoners. A large
proportion of these were murdered by conmiand of the
officer in charge of the guerilla band guarding them,
probably because he was not able to force them to move
as rapidly as his own men.
» Taylor, Ex. 833. Spanish A. L. S. 32-2. ^ Taylor, 46 A J.
= Ibid., 15 HS.
MUROER AS A GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY 733
On November 15, 1900, Simeon Villa, of evil fame, issued
a circular letter' to chiefs of guerillas in the Cagayan val-
ley, recommending that they all ' ' learn the verb ' Dukutar ' ^
so as to put it into immediate effect," and adding "it is
the most efficacious specific against every kind of evil-doer,
and most salutary for our country." This, too, under the
"Filipino RepubUc" before the outbreak of war with the
United States, and at a time when we are assured that
"profoiuid peace and tranquilhty " prevailed in this region.
This villanous order was approved and made general
in its application by Aguinaldo himself, on November 15,
1900.3
Aguinaldo's orders were not always couched in such
general tenns as the one above quoted. Among the
most interesting of the captured Insurgent documents
is the following : —
"Our Honourable President: We, the signers, who sub-
scribe the declaration appended ; by these presents protest
against the American proclamation ; we recognize no authority
but that of God and the Revolutionary Government, and we offer
our Hves and property for the independence of our country.
"Manila, San Miguel, January 12, 1899.
" Feliciano Cruz
"Severino Quitiongco."
(25 signatures follow.)
(On the Ixick is written in the handwriting of E. Aguinaldo) :
" Leberino Kitionko :
"Feliciano de la Cruz : Commissioned to kill General Otis." *
1 " To Chiefs of the Phiuppine Guerillas :
" The undersigned, Chief of the General Staff in the office of the
Captain General, recommends that all chiefs of guerillas, provided
that, in their judgment, there is no obstacle in the way, should kindly
order their suljordinates, down to the lowest, to learn the verb ' Duku-
tar,' so as to put it immediately in practice.
" It is the most efficacious specific against every kind of e\'il-doer,
and most salutary for our country. " Simeon S. Villa.
" Kagayan Valley, November 15, 1900.''
Extract from letter-sent book in Spanish of E. Aguinaldo, captured
with him. — P. I. R., 368-3.
^ Dukulnr means to assassinate. ' P- I. R., 1281 and 368. 3.
' P, I. R., 1199-1,
734 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
The difference in the spelhng of the name Severino
Quitiongco is doubtless due to the fact that Aguinaldo
wrote it down as it sounded to him.
When the Insurgent government began to be pinched for
funds, faihire to pay taxes became, in many cases, suffi-
cient ground for murdering the delinquent.
The method of procedure is set forth in the testimony
of a tax collector, published in General Orders, No. 259,
1901, Division of the PhiUppines : —
"I carried a letter of authorization to act as special agent,
which means authority to commit murder. Each time a
murder was ordered a letter was sent to one of four men (named
above) by one of the chiefs (naming them). Afterward the
letter was taken up and burned. If a man did not pay his
contributions to the insurgent collector he was ordered to be
killed."
The chief cause for murder was friendliness toward the
Americans. As time passed and the conunon people
had an opportunity to contrast the brutality of their
own soldiers with the kindly treatment usually accorded
them by the American troops, they welcomed the latter.
Weary of danger to life and property, the better men in
the towns became very desirous to see the reestablish-
ment of local governments, and ready to assist in the
work. The answer of the Insurgent leaders took the
form of wholesale orders for the murder or assassination
of all persons friendly to the Americans. I shall cite
enough such orders to show that this policy was duly
provided for throughout the length and breadth of the
Insurgent territory.
Many of the Visayans were friendly toward the Ameri-
cans from the outset. On March 24, 1900, "General
in Chief" Maxilom, of Cebii, issued an order providing
for the execution, after a most summary trial, of the
presidentes of all towns which subscribed to and recog-
nized American sovereignty. This rule was to apply to
Filipino citizens, including even the wealthy, a most
MURDER AS A GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY 735
unusual arrangement! Failure to be "subject to the
will of the Honourable President Senor Emilio Aguinaldo"
spelled death."
Outside the Cebii towns occupied by the Americans the
guerillas commanded by Maxilom were able to collect
tribute by the employment of such methods as were pro-
vided for on June 22, 1900, by Maxilom's order fixing
the duties of the magdudukuts, or secret avengers, who
were empowered to ' ' execute without remorse all notorious
traitors." ^ This was, in practice, a general warrant to
commit murder.
Pursuant to these instructions Pablo IMejia, a Filipino
of high character and conspicuous ability, was assassi-
nated in a street of Cebu in August, 1899. The Visay-
ans had reason to be proud of him and to execrate his
assassins.
On January 31, 1900, Pio Claveria, delegate to the Mili-
tary Govermnent of Iloilo province, Panay Island, wrote
1 " 1. The presidentes of all towns who subscribe to and recognize
American sovereignty, shall be pursued by aU the re^'olutionists with-
out mercy and when captured shall be sent to these Headquarters for
a most summary trial and execution as traitors to the country.
" 2. All Filipino citizens, including the wealthy, of the towns, are
subject to the preceding regulation.
" 3. It shall be the duty of the revolutionary armies with regard to
the towns which shall recognize or intend to recognize such sovereignty,
to destroy the town or towns and without any consideration whatso-
ever to kill all males, even the poorest, and set fire to all the houses,
without respecting any property excepting that of foreigners. And
in order that hereafter such misfortunes may not occur, as chief of
this province, I warn all the presidentes and wealthy people of each
town to help us as Filipinos as we are your brothers fighting here in
the field to give liberty to our mother country and woe to the traitor
who falls into the hands of this revolutionary government, which will
strictly carry out all the prescriptions above-mentioned.
" As the government which the invaders are endeavoring to establish
is always provisional, if all the inhabitants of this province are true
FDipinos, they can easily and simply answer that we are subject to the
will of the Honorable President Senor Emilio Aguinaldo, whom we
follow and recognize in this new born Republic as the President of the
Nation."
= Taylor, 80 HS.
736 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
the presidente of Tigbauan, that if it was true that he and
various other residents of that town had taken an oath
recognizing American sovereignty and did not retract it
the town would be razed to the ground, and they would
be "deserving of the terrible penalties prescribed by the
laws of the revolution ! " '
On April 3, 1900, General Leandro Fullon, who signed
himself "Political and Military Governor" of Antique,
and was one of Aguinaldo's emissaries, wrote a circular
letter, to be sent "by the fastest carriers from one town
to the other," imposing sentence of death and confisca-
tion of property on people who had taken out certificates
of citizenship issued by the Americans, together with
annihilation of their towns.^
1 " January, 1900.
"To the Local Presidente, Tigbauan (Iloilo).
" It is with profound regret that 1 have to state to you that in accord-
ance with reliable information this military delegation has heard that
you and various residents of that town have as electors already taken
an oath recognizing the American sovereignty. If this news is true,
you still have time to retract the oath, as otherwise we will raze that
town to the gi-ound without any hesitation whatever, and you and
your companions who have taken the oath shall be considered as pro-
scribed, and consequently deserving of the terrible penalties prescribed
by the laws of the revolution. This is not a tlu-eat : it is loyal and
sincere advice for yoiu- own good and that of the town in general.
" May God keep you many years.
" Pig Claveria,
" Delegate of the Military Government.
"31st, 1900." —P. I. R., 1054-8.
2 "April 3, 1900.
" To the local chiefs mentioned in the margin.
" I have heard with great sorrow that some of the towns of the
southern district of this province have taken out the certificates of
citizenship issued by the North American enemy, and have also com-
plied with all the orders issued by them ; this is exactly opposed to
the conduct of the northern district of the province and shows little
love for the country and an implied assent to the Government estab-
lished by them, for which reason I see myself obliged to impose the
severest punishment which is a sentence of death and confiscation of
property of all those who shall submit to said Government, from the
Chief and his local Cabinet to the lowest citizen, and annihilating their
towns. For this purpose I have ordered the Commanders of Zones
to watch in their respective districts the towns which may show weak-
MURDER AS A GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY 737
On July 11, 1900, Fullon issued a more sweeping order,
containing the following provisions : —
"1. Any meeting or assembly of a popular character,
held at the instance of the Officers of the United States, for the
purpose of recognizing the lil)erty and independence of the
towns of this province, is absohitely forbidden.
"2. The person arranging such meeting shall be shot at
once without trial or court martial, unless forced to do so by
majeure.
"3. Any Filipino filling any office in the name of the
United States shall be considered a traitor to his country, and
in addition to the penalties imposed by the Penal Code of
Spain, provisionally in force, all his property shall be confis-
cated, and if this should not be possible, the authorities of the
Philippine Republic shall endeavour to . . ." (remainder of
sentence unintelligible).'
In Samar General Vicente Lucban ordered, on Feb-
ruary 1, 1901, that persons who collected food for the
enemy be killed, as well as those who "finding themselves
in our camp pass to the enemy without previous pennis-
sion from this government." -
In Leyte, Honesto Ruiz warned all his "soldiers and
bolo-men that whenever a real Americanista, like the
police and volunteers, is caught he will be killed." On
August 11, 1900, he reported to General Moxica that "the
result is that every day they are killing traitors to our
country." ^
The following is a sample order for the assassination
of an obnoxious individual : —
ness before said Government, and to impose the punishment which I
have mentioned above. This circular is to be published three consecu-
tive nights for general information of all, a report that this has been
done being made to these Headquarters. Send it by the fastest
cowiers from one town to the other, the last one returning it with the
endorsements of the preceding ones.
" Headquarters of Tierra Alta, April 3, 1900.
" Leandro Fullon,
" General and P. M. Governor."
— P. I. R., 1047. 2.
> P. I. R., 1047. 2. = lUd., 824. 1. ' Ihid., 1204. 3
738 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
" October 4, 1900.
" Confidential.
"To the Local Chiefs of Sogod, Kabalisln, Anajauan, Hinun-
dayan, and Hinunangan (Leyte) :
" Immediately upon the appearance in the town under your
jurisdiction of the traitor to the Mother Country, Severino
Komandao, you will secure his person and send him to these
headquarters under the proper guard ; or if that person should
come into the town followed by an American force, j'ou shall try
to have him Idlled by treachery (traidoramente), by 'Dukut'
(assassination), for this is what a Filipino deserves who does
not know how to respect his own land and proceeds to injure
the beautiful ideal that we have in view.
" Return the present communication, treating it as confiden-
tial. Health and fraternity.
" Maninging, October 4, 1900.
"M. Pacheco,
" Military Commander."
" The Military Commander :
" The undersigned, Local Chief, notes the orders contained
in the present circular and will strictly comply therewith.
" KabaUdn, October 6, 1900.
"B. Veloso,
" Local Chief.'"-
In Negros, the Tagalogs long failed to effect a lodge-
ment. Ultimately, however, they managed to stir up
trouble, and to secure the help of "Pope" Isio, a noted
outlaw. On May 19, 1900, he suggested the advisabihty t
of punishing "by decapitation all those who go with the ■'
Americans" and ordered that "if it should appear that
they are real spies of the enemy they must be beheaded i
immediately without any pretext whatsoever against
it." To be considered a "real spy," it was necessary
only to be seen talking to Americans.
The letter from which I quote w^as addressed to Senor
Rufo Oyos, General of Operations.^
1 P. I. R., 981. 5.
2 "You and Captain Antonio must take the field this week without
any pretext whatsoever, and must follow out my instructions very
carefully. We have had patience enough, and now it becomes neces-
sary for us to assert our authority.
MURDER AS A GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY 739
Evidently he obeyed orders, for he was still alive in
November, 1901, at which time "Papa" Isio wrote him
again, directing that there be an uprising of all the towns
on December 20.
Towns which did not rise on the appointed day were to
be "reduced to ashes and all their inhabitants killed, men,
women, children and old people." Any presidente who
had not collected the taxes of his town before the arrival
of Isio was to be "hung without any hesitation what-
ever." '
"It is advisable to punish by decapitation all those who go with
the Americans ; but it is necessary first to ascertain the existence of
the crime, and if it should appear that they are real spies of the enemy,
they must he beheaded immediately without any pretext whatsoever
against it (being accepted).
"You, Captain Antonio and Judge Cornello must perfectly under-
stand what this order says : when the wealthy are Americanistas,
you must seize all their money, clothing and other property belonging
to them, immediately making an inventory of the property seized,
and you may remain in the place where the seizure is made as long as
may be necessary to make said inventory, even though a great amount
is spent for maintenance.
"Know furthermore that if the soldiers take any of the property
seized, they will speedily be put to death and will surely go to heU ;
therefore when it becomes necessary to enter a town to make a seizxu-e,
you must direct the soldiers not to touch the goods seized, even the
most insignificant, in order to avoid consequence of character.
"I have heard, Rufo, that Judge Cornello is opposed to your father-
in-law, and I want you to know that Judge Cornello is of my blood ;
therefore, tell your father-in-law to be very careful because he will
have me to treat with shortly, and will be made to pay for those threats
which he is making against the people without good cause.
"You will pubhsh this order in the town haU, in order that the evil-
minded may see it.
"You, Captain Antonio and Judge Cornello, who are the three
comrades who are to take the field, wiU acquire some happiness if you
comply with this order.
" Health and Fraternity.
" DiONisio Papa.
"Calibon, May 19, 1900." —P. I. R., 970. 4.
1 " Make it evident in that circular that the towns which do not rise
up in arms on the day fixed, shall be reduced to ashes and aU their
inhabitants killed, men and women, children and old people.
"The circular is to emanate from me, and you will sign it only by
my order.
740 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
Obviously Isio's order was not without effect, for we
learn that sometime during August, 1900, a man had
just left the camp "with the head of the infamous Juan
Carballo to hang it in a public place with a label saying
'Juan Carballo, a man pernicious to the revolution. May
he rest in peace.'" '
Isio's agents collected blackmail according to a regular
tariff, based roughly on the value of estates, threatening
that those who did not pay up would be regarded as spies
of the heretics.-
And now let us briefly review conditions in Luzon.
Here many of the common people were at first hostile
to the Americans, but flesh and blood could not endure
what they had to suffer at the hands of vicious Insurgent
officers and ignorant soldiers^ and ultimately, having
learned by experience that Americans were not the incar-
nate fiends which they had been led to expect to find
them, they began to turn to them for help. And the
answer of the Insurgent leaders was everywhere the
same, — death. On March 20, 1900, Tinio ordered the
killing of all officials who did not report to the nearest
guerilla commander the movements and plans of the
American troops.*
" Communicate also to the presidents of Cagayan and other towns
that they collect the taxes of their respective towns, as soon as possible ;
and a president who shall not have collected the taxes on my arrival
in the respective town, shaU be hung without any hesitation what-
soever.
" I desire that the Presidents meet there soon and await my arrival."
— P. I. R., 970.5.
1 P. I. R., 1102. 7. 2 Ibid., 970. 11.
' " March 20, 1900.
"Manuel Tinio y Bubdloc,
" Brigadier General and Commander in Chief of operations in the
region of Ilocos.
" Considering that a sufficient time has passed and various means of
having been employed as benignant as humanity counsels, to inculcate
in the minds of many misguided Filipinos the idea of the country and
to check in the beginning those unworthy acts which many of them
commit, and which not only redound to the prejudice of the troops
but also to the cause they defend, and having observed that such ac-
MURDER AS A GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY 741
It has been claimed that there was no opposition to
the Katipunan Society, and that the FiHpinos everywhere
joined it gladly. This was not the case. At different
times there were a number of similar organizations opposed
to it, and most important of these was the "Guards of
Honour." ' Its members were ruthlessly murdered. On
April 18, 1900, a guerilla chief m Union Province found it
necessary to order that all towns in which members of
the "Guards of Honour" lived should be burned with the
property of the members of that association ; that their
fathers, mothers, wives and sons should be beheaded,
while the men themselves should receive that punishment
or be shot. All grown men in every town, and the
Sandatahan, were to proceed immediately to aid in the
attack upon the Americans and Guards of Honour under
pain of being shot or beheaded.^
tion does not produce any favourable result on this date, in accordance
with the powers vested in me, I have deemed proper to issue the fol-
lowing : —
" PROCLAMATION
" First and last article. The following shall be tried at a most sum-
mary trial, and be sentenced to death :
" 1. AH local presidentes and other civil authorities, of the towns as
well as of the barrios, raneherias and sitios of their respective districts,
who as soon as they find out any plan, direction of the movement or
number of the enemy shall not give notice thereof to the nearest camp.
" 2. Those who give information to the enemy of the location of the
camp, stopping places, movements and direction of the revolutionists,
whatever be the age or sex of the former.
" 3. Those who voluntarily offer to serve the enemy as guides, ex-
cepting if it be with the purpose of misleading them from the right
road, and
" 4. Those who, of their own free will or othensase, capture revo-
lutionary soldiers who are alone, or who should intimidate them into
surrendering to the enemy.
" Issued at General Headquarters on March 20," 1900.
(Signed) " Manuel Tinio."
1 Guardias de Honor. ~~ ^- ^- ^•' 353. 8.
* " So then dear brothers, be like those of Bacnotan who have not
allowed their honour to be sullied, for when they saw the Guards of
Honour enter their town they drove them off at once with blows [of
bolos ? — Tr.] and cudgels and to the end that you may not have cause
VOL. II — B
742 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
In July, 1900, General J. Alejandrino ordered : —
" 1st. That the Commanders of Columns proclaim as
traitors all those in their respective Zones who in obedience
to personal interests or from weakness under pressure of the
enemy, accept civil positions and they shall be treated as such
when they fall into our hands.
"2nd. The commanding officers of columns will concen-
trate their forces so as to fall upon the to\vns where exist indi-
viduals who favour the formation of such unpopular and
despotic Governments and will use every means to arrest
the said traitors." '
Nowhere is the policy which was being carried out set
forth with more brutal frankness than in the following
letter : —
" August 3, 1900.
"This letter is folded in envelope shape and addressed:
Sr. Teodoro Sandico, Colonel, 1st Military Chief of Staff in
Santo Domingo.
"My Respected Chief and Dear Brother: I have re-
ceived your respected order, regarding the organization of the
to repent of what without doubt I shall be obliged to do, comply with
this order, listen to the following :
"First. Whenever the Presidente of the town, Cabezas and Cabezil-
las of barrios shall have knowledge of the presence in their barrios of
Guards of Honour, be they many or few, and do not cause their disap-
pearance or death, they will be immediately shot or beheaded.
"Second. Every barrio or residence of the Guards of Honour where
they are going about persuading the inhabitants to follow them in
their noxious work — that we may be slaves forever — ■ will be burned
and all their property together with their houses ; and their sons, their
fathers, mothers and their wives will be shot or beheaded to pay for
their treason.
" Third and last. All the grown men in the barrios, territorial mili-
tiamen or those called 'sandatahan' (bolomen), corporals, sergeants
and privates, and everybody who is a Filipino will go immediately
to help in the fight against the Guards of Honour and our enemy, the
Americans ; and those who pay no heed to this or hide themselves wiU
incur the penalty of being shot or beheaded.
"This proclamation ^-111 be read in the barrios and will be passed
from hand to hand so that it may be copied to the end tnat nobody
may have an excuse when the time comes to put into execution what
has been set forth." — P. I. R., 168. 9.
1 Taylor, Exhibit 1083.
a
K
a
«
o
MURDER AS A GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY 743
Committee in the towns of Zaragosa, Aliaga, and Licab ; (Nueva
Ecija) from the movements and actions of these towns, I
don't believe it possible to organize immediately. Before we
can, it will be necessary that four or five lives be taken in each
town. I beheve that what ought to be done to those towns is
to make a new conquest of them, especially the town of San
Juan de Guimba ; it is difficult there to set straight the Tagd,-
logs and Ilocanos of importance, as they are badly inclined
and they care to do nothing but pervert our soldiers.
" This is what I am able to inform you, in fulfilment of the
respected order of the Chief.
"God guard you many years.
"San Cristobal, August 3, 1900.
(Signed) "C. Gonzales.'"
The organization of municipal governments by the
Philippine Conmiission, in towns north of Manila, espe-
cially aroused the ire of Insurgent leaders, one of whom
issued an order declaring traitors all persons who accepted
municipal office under the Americans.^
' P. I. R., 509. 2.
2 "September 11, 1900.
"To the local Presidents of Malolos, Bulacan, Guigninto, Bigaa,
Booaue, Marilao, Meyauayan, Polo, Obando, Santa Maria, San Jose,
Angat, Norzagaray, Bustos, San Rafael, Baliuag, Pulilan, Quingua,
Santa Isabel, Barasoain, Paombong, Hagonoy, Calumpit, and the
military commanders Pablo Tecson, Bonifacio Morales, Maximo An-
geles and Colonel Simon Tecson Libuano, Colonel Rosendo Simon,
and also Major Dongon.
" CiRCtlLAK
"As the American Civil Commission has taken charge of the gov-
ernment of the archipelago from the first of the present month and
from that date will proceed to establish municipal government in the
pueblos to take the place of the municipal councils which at present
rule them ; in order to duly execute the orders of the Commanding
General of the Centre of Luzon, I give you the following instruc-
tions : —
"1st. You will arrest and send to these headquarters with the
proper precautions to prevent escape, all inhabitants of these pueblos
who accept offices in the municipal governments about to be estab-
lished by the Americans, as they have been declared traitors to the
country by the order I have referred to as issued by these head-
quarters.
"2d. You will employ the same method of procedure with those
who favoiu- the establishment of municipal government by the Ameri-
744 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
In October, 1900, we find General Vito Belarmino order-
ing that Filipinos in Ambos Camarines who accept office
under Americans "be treated as traitors," and that "com-
manders of columns and detachments will cause their
forces to fall on those pueblos hi which there are individ-
uals who are infavom-of the organization of such unpopular
and therefore despotic governments." ^ One Tuason,
an American adherent, is notified that he and two other
persons, who are named, will be shot and their bodies
hung on the cathedral tower as a lesson to the inhabit-
ants.^
In La Laguna province Cailles, who was now in com-
mand there, found hunself compelled not only to fight
the Americans in the field, but to combat their growing
popularity in the towns, and he promptly inaugurated
a reign of terror, ordering the death of any person whom
he considered an undesirable. His victims were shot,
bayoneted or boloed. If they took refuge within the
American lines, they were followed and assassinated.
In his book of letters sent, ' there appear the names of
thirty-one men whom he ordered killed between August
cans. You will not show tliem the slightest consideration, even if
they are your brothers. You are responsible under the severest pen-
alties for the performance of this. God keep you many years.
"Malolos, September 11, 1900.
"I. Torres,
General."
— P. I. R., Books C-3.
1 P. I. R., 341. 9.
2 " Two weeks ago a court-martial was held at these headquarters
presided over by Colonel Arejola, on you, Tuason, and other civil
authorities of this capital, the decision being that you will be shot
when we get there, which will be very soon.
"You as well as Tuason and Santachia, after having been shot,
■ndll be hung on the cathedral tower to be seen by the inhabitants in
order that you may serve as a lesson ... I tell you this only as a
companion and nothing more. Your obedient servant, who kisses
your hand.
"El Montero."
— P. I. R., 2007. 1.
' P. I. R., 716. 2.
MtJRDER AS A GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY 745
20, 1900, and April, 1901. Some of these men were
described as highwa^Tnen or assassins, and probably
deserved their fate, but others were classed as "spies"
or "traitors," and certainly did not, miless in this country
where it is claimed that Aguinaldo had his people a unit
at his back it was an offence worthy of death to prefer
peace and order under American rule to conditions such
as Insurgent rule fostered.
Cailles did not hesitate to report the results of his
orders for the assassination of indi\aduals, giving full and
grewsome details. The following is a sample circular
letter on this subject, sent out by him : —
"To the local Chiefs and Commanders of Columns, of the
province : — ■
"On this date I have received a communication from the
Presidente of Santa Cruz which is as follows : —
"Sr. General: ... I am pleased, much pleased my
General, to inform you ■nith much satisfaction of the end in
this world of the villain, of the great traitor, Salvador Reyes,
in the following manner : —
"This morning at 8 o'clock, according to the reports of
Srs. Ldzaro Alfonzo and Modesto de los Reyes, who would
gladly give their lives for our honour and glory, your coachman
told them that the traitor was proceeding to the northern
part of the town. They followed him and upon coming to the
front of the house and shop of Cabezang Jacinto Talcon, the
aforementioned Sr. INIodesto attacked him ^\-ith a bolo like a
tiger, -with all the strength of his body and soul, hitting by
chance his left jaw, when the other, that is to say, Sr. Ldzaro
Alfonso, followed the first, catching the traitor by the throat
with his right hand and with the other fired three pistol shots
at him, one of which missed and the other two took effect in
the traitor's shoulder, from the effects of which he fell hke a
stone upon his face.
"Lastly, Sr. Modesto stabbed him mth'a bolo, and upon
seeing that he was dead, took away his revolver, and carrjdng
the traitor bj' his belt to Calle de Maria Christina, threw the
body down. This was done in plain daylight and in plain
view of everybody. . . ." ^
» P. I. R., 716. 5.
746 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
"On January 6, 1901, 'the lieutenant-general of the Philip-
pine Islands' ordered that all persons who disobeyed the orders
of the Katipunau were to be tried and sentenced. A member
of the organization who found that any person was contem-
plating taking action opposed to the purposes of that venerable
society' was authorized to kidnap him, and when the Katipiinan
laid hold upon a man he was henceforth seen no more among
the living." '
The organization of the Federal Party caused an out-
burst of fury among the Insurgent leaders beside which
that aroiised by the organization of municipal govern-
ments was mild.
Throughout the islands the murdering of officers, mem-
bers and agents of this party was ordered, and even
those who sjonpatliized with its ends were to be shot.
The following is a sample of the orders sentencing to
death the adherents of this truly patriotic organization : —
"March 22, 1901.
"Senor Emilio Zuebano t Kajigal,
" Lieutenant Colonel and Military Governor of the
Province of Tayabas.
* * * * if tt It
"2nd. In \'iew of the preceding section, the Local
Presidentes and Commanders of the columns of this province,
ynM carefully watch their respective jurisdictions in order that
not one agent of the enemj- nor of the Federal Party, may be
secretlj^ able to obtain any signatures of the residents, they
shall seize any one who may do it and send him to me with all
the possible safeguards for the execution of what is ordered in
the foregoing section.
"3rd. All persons who may show themselves to be
inclined to the Federal Party, will also be captured and shot
on being arrested prior to the proceedings and legal formalities,
because being inclined towards this party, is the same as declar-
ing oneself a traitor to the country.
"4th. The commander of a column or local presidente
who shall tolerate the existence of the Committees of the
Federal Party in his jurisdiction, being able to avoid it, will be
tried and in case he is found guilty, ^ill be discharged from
his duty and will also be shot, as a traitor to his country.
» Taj'lor, 35 HS.
MURDER AS A GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY 747
"5th. The presidentes of the popular committees, will
furnish detailed information to the local presidentes and com-
manders of columns of persons ^\-ithin the towTis occupied by
the enemies who are engaged in the propagation of the Federal
Party or in getting adhesions in any way, either directly or
indirectly, to the said party, and the presidente of the popular
committee who may fail to accomplish so sacred a duty, will
also be punished with the penalty of death.
"6th. When any of the representatives of the federal
party, or any of its adherents cannot be captured on account
of remaining constantly wdth the enemy or being protected by
him, the local presidentes and commanders of the columns ■will
procure by all means the execution of the said representative
or adherent within the line of the enemy through persons of
known decision and of patriotism worthy of all commendation.
"7th. All the citizens living in the province of Tayabas
who may be representatives or adherents to the Federal Party,
aside from the criminal liability which he incurs personally,
will be deprived of the benefits of his propertj^, which will be
seized by the Government, who ^\ill take charge of the profits
of the same.
"8th & last. The Local Presidente of the pueblo in which
exists any Committee of the Federal Party and the Com-
mander of the column to whose protection the pueblo is
entrusted on pain of incurring the pmiishment detailed in
section third of the present proclamation, will proceed to the
total destruction of the pueblo in which there is a federalist
committee, if, after having been ordered to disband it, at the
expiration of seven daj's the same continues in its traitorous
and criminal functions.
"Issued at the Mihtary Government, March 22nd, 1901.
"Eaiilio Zurbano,
"Lieutenant Colonel, Military Governor." ^
On March 3, 1899, Antonio Luna, general in chief of
operations about Manila, directed that all persons who either
directly or indirectly refused to aid the execution of his
military plans were to be immediately shot without trial.
Nothing could have been more sweeping than was his
order, and the commanders of detachments of insurgents
found in it an authoritative statement that the lives and
1 P. I. R., 650. 8.
748 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
property of the inhabitants of the Phihppines were theirs
to do with as they chose.'
Mabini made this vicious and cruel order the subject
of bitter protest, writing to Aguinaldo, on March 6, 1899,
a letter in which he says that Luna has grossly exceeded
his powers, and making the very pertinent inquiry
"if an educated man ^ can hardly imderstand his duties,
how will the uneducated one understand his?" He sug-
gests that it would be better to remove Luna.^ It does
not appear that this order was ever modified.
» "PROCLAMATIONS
"March 3, 1899.
"For general information, since it concerns everybody, we publish
the two important proclamations lately issued by the Chief of Military
Operations of Manila.
"Antonio Luna y Novicio, General of Division of the Army of the
Philippine RepubUc and General-in-Chief of Military Operations about
Manila.
"In order to prevent any act opposed to the mOitary plans of these
headquarters and consequently to the ideals of the Filipino Republic,
I order and command (only one article). From this day any person
or individual whatever who either directly or indirectly refuses to give
aid to these Headquarters in the prosecution of any mihtary plans, or
who in any manner whatever interferes with the execution of orders
dictated for that purpose by the General in Chief, commanding oper-
ations upon Manila will be immediately shot without trial. Communi-
cate and publish this order.
" Given at the General Headquarters of Polo on the 3rd of March,
1899.
"Antonio Luna,
" General-in-Chief of Operations."
— P. I. R., 214-2.
2 That is, Luna.
3 "March 6, 1899.
" Senor Presidbnte : Many complaints have been received here on
account of the abuses committed by General Luna. It is said that he
has lately published a decree in which he warned the people that those
who disobey his orders shall be shot to death without summary trial,
and he made his decree cover the whole province of Pampanga.
"To be shot to death without siimmary trial is a punishment which
can be inflicted on soldiers ; but a chief cannot enforce it in a civilized
community, except among savages. Besides, he has only jurisdic-
tion over Polo, where the General Headquarters is, and over the towns
of the zones of Manila.
MURDER AS A GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY 749
I might furnish many similar data, but enough of
orders. Any one who is not convinced by these extracts
from the official Insurgent records that murder was a
duly authorized govermnental agency under the Philip-
pine "Republic" is not amenable to reason or influenced
by incontrovertible facts.
But were these brutal instructions carried out ? They
were, indeed, with a ferocity and a cold-blooded barbarity
which make one shudder. Fortunate indeed was the
man who was really shot, like the presidente of Nag-
carlan,' and it made no difference if innocent bystanders
were wounded or killed as well.
One of the common methods of procedure with victuns
" I am very much surprised that these things are not well under-
stood by General Luna. He has no exoeutive power over Bulacan
and Pampanga ; he must have issued his orders through the military
chiefs thereof.
"During such time as he is the commander-in-chief of operations of
Manila he is not the director of war, and even if he is, he has no power
other than to conduct his office and to take the place of the secretary
in his absence.
"If an educated man can hardly understand his duties, how will
the uneducated one understand his ?
"Please make him acquainted with all of this in order to prevent
any encroachment.
" I am at yoiu- orders. (Signed) " Ap. Mabini.
"P.S. — It would be better, I think, to remove him from his post.
"A. M."
— P. I. R., 512a-2.
1 "AprH 6, 1901.
"Cailles Brigade. Flying column of Rizal and Nagcarlan.
"In conjunction with Captain Maeario Dorado, I believed it my
duty to attack the town of Nagcarlan, for the principal purpose of
killing the American local presidente, as was done during the procession
last Holy Thursday. The Presidente was killed and one of his sons,
and two residents were woimded, probably by stray bullets, while
taking part in the procession.
"Which I have the honor to communicate to you for your informa-
tion and consequent effects.
"God preserve you many years.
"Nagcarlan, April 6, 1901." ,„, ., , . . v
(Illegible signature.)
" To the General in Chief and Superior Politico-Military
Commander of This Province." — P. 1. R., 1142. 8.
750 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
of "dukut" was to bury them alive. A number of
individuals suffered this fate at Taytay, near Manila.
They were taken out at night, made to kneel beside graves
already dug, hit over the head with an iron bar and
knocked into their last restmg places and the earth was
shovelled in on to them. They were confessed by a native
priest, and people of the town were required to stand by
and see them meet their end.
An American lawyer who afterward defended some of
their murderers when the latter were apprehended and
brought to trial, told me that among other grewsome
details furnished by his cUents, who shamelessly ad-
mitted to him their guilt, were the following : —
A victim who watched the miu-der of others, while
awaiting his turn, did not want to be struck on the head
and begged that as a special favor the blow from the iron
bar be omitted in his case. His request was granted,
whereupon he climbed into his grave, lay down, covered
his face with his handkerchief, and directed his murderers
to proceed. I could cite numerous specific cases in which
persons were buried alive, and will do so if my word is
called in question. ^ If not, enough of this !
' The Insurgent leaders did not hesitate officially to report the com-
mission of this ghastly crime. The following is such a report : —
"June 24, 1900.
In Margin, stamp : "Headquarters First Column, Laguna. No.
144.
"I have the honor to transmit to you the enclosed letter from a
resident of the town of Pila who had just returned from Manila, in
which he gives me news of our present political situation, and as such
news are satisfactory to our cause I send you said letter for your in-
formation.
"It is known from very trustworthy information that General del
Pilar is under arrest in ManDa and he has been substituted in the
command of his forces by Colonel Macanea, who was his second in
command, and is at the present time repressing with a firm hand the
bandits who swarm about the outsku-ts of the zone under his command,
as one of the celebrated bandits named Major Eusebio de Rateros,
who had previously been in Pagsanjan was buried ali^'e in the ceme-
tery of Taguig by Captain Simplicio Tolentino who is at the present
time a member of that brigade.
3
MURDER AS A GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY 751
Burning alive was occasionally resorted to.* More
frequently, the victims had their eyes put out, their
tongues cut out, and were then turned loose to shift for
themselves. Justice Johnson,^ of the Philippine Supreme
Court, has described to me a case in which four police-
men of a town which had received him in a friendly
manner, were served in this way, and the procedure was
a comparatively common one.
Taylor gives the following account of certain incidents
which occurred in Ilocos Sur : —
"On page 154 is a record of part of the murders of a body of
men in the to^vn of Caoayan, Ilocos Sur Province, who, in July,
1900, calling themselves ' Sandatahan,' appointed a chief
executioner, assistant executioners and a requisite number
of grave-diggers, and then, with set purpose, proceeded to
assassinate all persons who manifested reluctance to join
them or to contribute to their support or to the support
of the insurgents in the hills whom their leader claimed
they were serving. They operated secretly at night, the
leaders usually selecting their victims one at a time; and
when they were secured they were conducted to a
lonely beach covered with tall grass where the grave-digger
had already dug the requisite number of graves and where
the executioners were already assembled. There in the pres-
ence of the assembled band, men and women, bound and
"Tho news is also confirmed of the execution of Major Espada
ordered by General del Pilar. I send you this news for your informa-
tion.
"God preserve you many years.
"Headquarters, June 24, 1900. —P. I. R., 605. 4.
"JtiLio Herrera,
" Lieutenant Colonel, Commanding 4th Column.
" To the General and Politico-Military Commander and of
Operations of This Province, General Camp." — P. I. R., 605. 4.
i"A commissioner of the Katipunan society at Ibung, Nueva
Vizcaya Province, compelled the inhabitants to take the oath of alle-
giance to that organization, and issued orders that aU who should re-
fuse to follow the dictates of the same should suffer death ; and, in
pursuance of such orders, was proved to have had, in February, 1901,
two men beaten to death, one man buried alive, and two women burnt
alive. " — Taylor, 38 HS.
2 At the time of this event he was a judge of first instance.
752 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
helpless, were placed upon the brinks of their opened graves,
their bodies were run through with swords and bolos and then
buried. The band then dispersed, each man going to his
own home. These operations were continued with industrious
persistency through two months or more until the lengthening
row of graves reached, in the language of one of the witnesses,
'about thirty, more or less.' " '
The Insurgent leaders themselves reported in a most
businesslike manner their orders for assassination and
the results of their activities in this direction.
The following are sample communications of this sort ;
"Headquarters Camp No. 6.
"TiERRA Libre (Free Soil), Saluyan (Laguna Province)
" November 18th, 1900.
" General Juan Cailles,
" Military Governor of La Laguna :
*******
"In Nagcarlang it appears that there will be soon a spy,
one Juan, a native of Binang, for he has already commenced
to disobey the committee, and so I with much prudence have
ordered his eternal rest. The inhabitants have left the town
and no one will serve either as barber or laundry-man to the
Americans.
*******
(Signed) " Julio Infante." *
"Proclamation of Lieutenant Colonel Emilio Zurbano,
"Military Governor ofTayabas, to his Fellow-citizens.
"Headquarters and Military Government,
"Tayabas, April 23, 1901.
"Fellow-citizens: The holiness, purity and elevation
of purpose of us who fight for our independence has caused the
execution of five of our fellow-citizens on the 18th instant at
five o'clock in the afternoon. They were shot on the plaza
of the to\vn of Sampaloc. . . .
"Vivencio Villarosa, for assassination of eleven foreigners
and for disloyalty ; Pedro Cordero, for disloyalty and spying ;
Remigfo Aviosa, for improper exercise of authority, for many
assaults and robbery in a band ; Segundo Granada, for many
assaults and stealing many animals, and Rufino Sabala for
1 Taylor, 35-36 HS. ' P. I. R., 653. 10.
MURDER AS A GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY 753
being addicted to and a disseminator of the doctrines of the
Federal Party have fallen on the plaza of Sampaloc at the
very moment when the twilight of the happy triumph of our
ideal began to advance over the horizon of our country until
now hidden in clouds of blood. May they rest in peace.
*******
(Signed) " Emilio Zurbano." '
After reporting to his subordinates that the local chief
of Bay had, under his orders, arrested Honorato Quisum-
bing, an Americanista who had never served as a spy,
and that his captor had killed hun when he called to
American troops who were near to help him, Cailles adds :
"His companion was likewise duly executed as a spy and
guide for the enemy. Let us offer up a prayer for their
eternal rest." ^
Blount has made the following statement : —
"I have heard, so far as I now recollect, of comparatively
few barbarities perpetrated by Filipmos on captured American
soldiers. Barbarities on their side seemed to have been re-
served for those of their own race whom they found disloyal
to the cause of their country." '
One may well doubt whether he himself wrote the book
which goes under his name, for in it he is made constantly
to contradict himself. Relative to this matter he has also
said : —
"He* can never forget the magnificent dash back into the
wide, ugly, swollen stream, made by Captain Edward L. King
of General Lawton's staff, as he spurred his horse m, followed
by several troopers who had responded to his call for mounted
volunteers to accompany him in an effort to save the lives of
the men who went down. Their generous work proved futile.
But it was inspired partly by common dread of what they
knew would happen to any half-drowned soldier who might
be washed ashore far away from the column and captured.
If an army was ever 'in enemy's country,' it was then and
there." ^
• P. I. R., 332. 9. ' Ibid., Books A-1. ' Blount, p. 203.
* Ibid. ' Ibid., p. 244.
754 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
As a matter of fact, not only did the Insurgents re-
peatedly torture and murder American prisoners, but
they poisoned soldiers. Lucban and others directed that
this should be done, described the procedure to be fol-
lowed, and furnished the poison.^
Du'ections for poisoning soldiers were included in a
letter written on August 21, 1900, to the Brigadier Gen-
eral Superior Military Commander of the Province of
Leyte as follows : —
"It would also be well, in my humble opmion, for you to
find out from the old men and quack doctors the kind of poison
that can be mixed in alcoholic drinks and m cocoanut wine
(tuba), as our enemies now drink these liquors; and after
this poison has been known and tried, let it be used in such a
way as to undermine the constitution of the man, until some
day death occurs ; for which purpose you ought to have per-
sons, wherever there are Americans, to poison them. These
things are now bemg done m Luzon, Cebu and Panay.
"There is a tree here in the province whose leaves inflame
the body of a man considerably, once applied ; for I have
seen about Manila the leaves converted into powder, rolled
in pellets of paper and shot in the faces of Americans. This
causes the parts to swell and become completely useless ;
and I believe it would be well to do this within the towns, and
'"June 5, 1900.
" Sr. Local. Presidente of Katibug :
" I send you a little of the poison known as 'dita' that you may put
it on the points of the 'balatik' and 'siu-a' (spears and traps) ad-
monishing you to take care that none of our people are wounded with
the said poison, and if by misfortune any one is wounded, immediately
apply the stem of the 'IJadian' mixed with that of the 'lingaton' in
the wound, as this is the most efficacious means of neutralizing and
removing the effect of said poison. Be active and place many of the
spears, etc., in aU the roads and trails where the enemy must pass,
and as soon as you know of his next expedition, inform me immedi-
ately by despatch, both by day and night.
" It is very necessary that the people detailed to place the poison on
the points carry always the 'badian' and 'lingaton' so that in case of
mishap some one may apply the remedy to neutralize the destruc-
tive ingredients of the poison at once.
" Headquarters of Matuguinao, 5th of June, 1900.
(Signed) " Lukban, General.
(Seal) " Military Headquarters of Samab." — P. I. R., 502. 7.
MURDER AS A GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY 755
especially to the drunkards asleep along the roads and to the
fellows making love." '
Various other orders for the poisoning of soldiers or
the use of poisoned arrows or spears were issued.^ Fur-
thermore, they were faithfully carried out,^ and the results
were duly reported.
'P. I. R.. 2035. 3.
2 The following issued by Col. R. F. Santos in Albay Province is
a sample : —
"October 14, 1900.
"In view of the present exceptional state of affairs in our beloved
mother country, the Philippines, considering the straits we are in,
and in compliance with the order of the General of Division and Chief
of Operations for his campaign plans, I trust that upon receipt of the
present communication you will kindly order the captains of terri-
torial militia, of that barrio, Apud, Pantao and Macabugos, to have all
the soldiers of their respective companies provide themselves ■nith at
least fifty arrows apiece and a sufficient quantity of the well-known
poison called dila to apply to the points of the arrows, and to have
their bolos well sharpened. I must remind you that as repeated
practice is essential in order to secure the best results in the use of these
weapons, you will endeavour to have at least twice a week, according
to the convenience of the residents, said exercises take place in secluded
spots, far from all danger of being surprised by the enemy.
"For the purpose indicated above 3'ou \\dll likewise order that
all the residents of your respective barrios have ready in a safe place
a supply of the fruit commonly called Ydioc, putting it in water to
decay, and to also have in readiness a squirt gun, that is to say, a
'Sumpit,' in order to use it in case of any invasion or attack of the
enemy." — P. I. R., Books B, No. 113.
' The following is a sample report : —
"February 4, 1900.
" LlEDTEN.\NT-CoLONEL C. TiNIO :
"My Dear and Esteemed Uncle :
* * *****
"I am now carrying out a scheme here in this town for the purpose
of killing some American sentries, whose bodies will be buried in the
woods near the town, where they cannot be traced and found by their
comrades, in order to avoid any investigation by them. They wiU
believe that these soldiers have deserted. I have just sent to Gerona
for a supply of wine, which, mixed with a strong, sickening stuff, will
be sold to them ; once they drink of it, the effect will soon teU on them,
and then we will seize their rifles.
' ' I feel that I should advase you of this matter, in order that you
may know the reason if, perchance, it should happen that we lose
the confidence of the inhabitants of the town on account of this scheme.
756 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
The murder of sentries and of soldiers who straggled
was often ordered, practised and reported.^
As damnable as any of these horrible documents was
the order of General Antonio Luna for the massacre of all
Americans, foreigners and "disloyal" Filipinos in Manila.
Blount has alleged that Taylor "obtained no evidence
convincing to hun," relative to the authorship of this
order ^ and that "a like investigation by General Mac-
Arthur in 1901 had a like result." Whether he is ignorant
However, we will be satisfied if we can seize some rifles" without resorting
to violent mean^ or to a scandal.
"This is the purpose of your devoted nephew, who always prays
God for your health and life, and who sends you his kindest regards.
"San Juan (Tarlac Province ?)j February 4, 1900.
(Signed) " Leoncio Alarilla,
" Captain of Guerillas."
— P. I. R., 480. 5.
' The following is a sample report. It will be noted that its author
was a civilian, not a soldier : —
"January 19, 1900.
"Sr. Lieut. Col. A. Tecson :
"With due respect I address you to inform you that yesterday at
10 a.m., I was in the barrio of Bagonbaulat and I saw one of the enemy's
soldiers who was lagging behind his companions, and what I did was
to order the man in charge of that place and three men to be called
whom I ordered to capture the said soldier, and when a prisoner I
ordered him to be led to the woods and there they killed him and
buried the body ; the rifle he carried and ninety cartridges I left with
the people and continued my march to San Isidro ; on my return when
I was to get the rifle mentioned I could not find it and they told me
they had sent it to Major Manolo. I inform you of this in compli-
ance with the order.
"God guard you many years.
"Entablado, 19th January, 1900.
(Signed) " Roman I. Torres,
" Commissioner."
— P. I. R., 573.2.
2 "At page 1890 of the same volume, Captain J. R. M. Taylor, 14th
U. S. Infantry, a gallant soldier and an accomplished scholar, who was
in charge in 1901 of the captured insurgent records at Manila, states
that he was 'informed' that the document was originally 'signed by
Sandico, then Secretary of the Interior' of the revolutionary govern-
ment. Captain Taylor made an attempt to run the matter down, but
obtained no evidence convincing to him. A like investigation by Gen-
eral MacArthur in 1901 had a like result." — Blount, p. '200.
MURDER AS A GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY 757
of the facts as to the authentication of the authorship of
this very important document, or chooses to ignore them,
I do not know. Taylor in the end conclusively settled
the matter, and so reported. Luna's order,' which was
' "Luna's Order:
" 'Malolos, February 7, 1899.
" 'To The Field Officers of the Territorial Militia :
'By virtue of the barbarous attack made upon our army on the
fourth day of February without this being preceded by any strained
relations whatever between the two armies, it is necessary for the
Filipinos to show that they know how to avenge themselves of treachery
and deceit of those who, working upon our friendship, now seek to
enslave us.
" ' In order to carry out the complete destruction of that accursed
army of drunkards and thieves, it is indispensable that we all work in
unison, and that orders issued from this war office be faithfully carried
out.
" 'As soon as you receive this circular, measures wiU be taken for
strict compliance with the following orders :
'(1) Such measures will be taken that at 8 o'clock at night the
members of the territorial militia under orders will be ready to go into
the street with their arms and ammunition to occupy San Pedro street
and such cross streets as open into it.
" ' (2) The defenders of the Philippines under your orders wiU
attack the Zorilla barracks and the Bilibid guard, and liberate all the
prisoners, arming them in the most practical manner in order that
they may aid their brethren and work out our revenge ; to this end
the following address shall be made to them :
'Brethren: The Americans have insulted us and we must re-
venge ourselves upon them by annihilating them.
'This is the only means for obtaining justice, for the many out-
rages and infamies of which we have been the object. AH the Filipinos
in Manila will second us. May the blood of the traitors run in tor-
rents ! Long live the independence of the Philippines !
" '(3) The servants of the houses occupied by the Americans and
Spaniards shall burn the buildings in which their masters live in such
a manner that the conflagration shall be simultaneous in all part of
the city.
" 'The signals for carrying this into effect — shall be to send up two
red paper balloons and the firing of rockets with lights and firecrackers.
" '(4) The lives of the Filipinos only shall be respected, and they
shall not be molested, with the exception of those who have been
pointed out as traitors.
'All others of whatsoever race they may be shall be given no
quarter and shall be exterminated, thus proving to foreign countries
that America is not capable of maintaining order or defending any of
the interests which she has imdertaken to defend.
758 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
issued on February 7, 1899, provided for the massacre
of all Americans and foreigners in Manila. The lives of
Filipinos only were to be respected. All others, of what-
soever race, were to be given no quarter, but were to be
exterminated, "thus proving to foreign countries that
America is not capable of maintaining order or defending
any of the interests which she has undertaken to defend."
This effort to massacre all white persons in the city
fell through, partly because the plan leaked out, and
partly because Cavite Insurgent soldiers did not obey
orders.
I consider it important that the authenticity of this
much-discussed order should be placed beyond reasonable
doubt, and so give Taylor's findings in full. He says : —
"A synopsis of this order was telegraphed to Washington
by General Otis on February 21st, 1899, as having been 'issued
by an important officer of the insurgent government at Malolos,
" ' (5) The sharpshooters of Tondo and Santa Ana shall be the first
to open fire and those on the outside of the Manila lines shall second
their attack, and thus the American forces will find themselves between
two fires. The militia of Trozo, Binondo, Kyapo (Quiapo), and
Sampalok ahaM follow up the attack. All must go into the streets
and perform their duties.
" 'The militiamen of Paco, Ermita, Malate, Santa Cruz, and San
Miguel shall attack when firing has become general everj'where, which
will be approximately about 12 o'clock at night ; but if they see that
their comrades are in danger before that time they shall give them the
proper assistance and go into the streets whenever it becomes nec-
essary.
" 'The Spanish mUitia enlisted as volunteers in our army shall go
out at 3 o'clock in the morning and attack Fort Santiago.
" 'Brethren, the country is in danger and we must rise to save it.
Europe sees that we are feeble, but we will demonstrate that we know
how to do as should be done, shedding our blood for the salvation of
our outraged country. Death to the tjTant I War without quarter
to the false Americans who wish to enslave us 1 Independence or
death !
" 'A. Luna.
" ' Malolos, February 7, 1899.
" ' Colonel Jose : By order of General Luna, have several copies
of this made, in order that these instructions may be communicated
to all.' " — SenateDocument331,part2,p. 1912, Fifty-seventh Congress,
First Session.
MURDER AS A GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY 759
February 15th, 1899, for execution during the evening and night
in this city' of Manila. Page 157, Senate Document 208,
Fifty-sixth" Congress, First Session. On March 2, 1901, a
Senate resolution called for all information in the possession
of the Secretary of War 'relating to, or tending to show, the
authenticity and genuineness of the alleged order for the mas-
sacre of tho' foreign residents of Manila, P. I., on the evening and
night of February 15, 1899 ; ' and, further, whether the original
of that order was or ever had been in the possession of the
War Department, and whether it had ever been seen by such
a person. This order required a search in Manila, which was
made. As a result of this it was ascertained that the sjTiopsis
which was telegraphed by General Otis was brought to Maj.
F. C. Bourns,^ an officer of the provost marshal general's office,
by a rather prominent Filipino '^ who had given a good deal
of information which on the whole had proved to be correct.
He stated that the paper which he handed him was a copy of
the original which had just been sent to officers of the bolo
organization, the sandatahan, of Manila, but that he had not
time to copy the whole of it ; yet as far as it went the paper
was an exact copy of the original order, which was signed by
Sandico. Major Bourns said that at the time the paper was
received; there was no reason to doubt 'the man's statement
that it was an exact copy of the original order, for we knew
that some such order was imder consideration, that this bolo
organization existed, and it was under the orders of Sandico,
who, in turn, was entirely imder the influence of Luna. Since
my return to the Philippines, however, several little things
have occurred which have caused me to question whether or
not the paper was an exact copy of the original order. That
in the main it was correct, I clo not doubt; but I am just a
little inclined to think the man may have "stretched" things
a little.'
"The search was continued, and finally one of the original
orders, a translation of which immediately precedes this note,
was produced by Dr. Manuel Xeres y Burgos who was then a
surgeon employed in the Bilibid prison in Manila and who had
been an officer in the territorial militia of that city. Doctor
Burgos wrote in July, 1901, to Colonel Crowder, military
secretary to the Military governor of the Philippines, that if
he gave him all the details in regard to the means he had em-
ployed in obtaining the document, it would require many sheets
of paper, and the story would seem like a novel to those who
' Major F. S. Bourns. ' Dr. Manuel Xerez Burgos.
760 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
only superficially knew the customs of the Philippines. He
said that ' a few days after the beginning of hostilities we were
given to read an order of a mysterious character ; we were not
allowed to take a copy thereof or to keep it in our possession,
probably from fear of some treachery. However the bearer
told me that several copies had been made which were to be
sent to all the districts in which the " Filipino militia " had been
distributed. The chief of the latter were the men called upon
to execute said order. You know that, -thank God, it was not
executed, not only through lack of arms, but also because
most of the chiefs who were in Manila felt a repugnance to
execute such a barbarous and foolish order, which, had it been
attempted, would have lieen the cause of the extermination
of all the Filipinos who were within the American lines as a
just reprisal for such an atrocious order.
" ' Luckily, not only the savage measure prescribed was never
carried into execution, l>ut it was impossible to attack the
American army, the men who had been detailed to do it in
Manila having only a few hundred bolos as arms, and the
chiefs of the mihtia midcrstood that with such arms they could
not think of resisting the rifles and cannon of the Americans.
" ' Up to the middle of April, 1899, several Filipinos who came
from the lines declared that General Luna had sentenced us
to death for having disobeyed that terrible order. We were
14 who were considered as traitors to our country, and we were
precisely those who had worked for the release of the prisoners
in whom we had the greatest confidence, answering for them
to the authorities and exposing ourselves to get into trouble
if they had broken their word.
" ' We had decided to collect all papers which referred to
certain facts, in order to show some day who were those who had
lent real services to the country, and we resolved to try and find
the document which was the principal cause of the danger
which had threatened us at that time.
" ' We would have had the paper in our possession since
August last if it had not been for the terror inspired by the
secret police with its unjustified arrests, and our emissaries
fled from Manila and did not come back until after the end of
the persecution.
" ' On the 25th of February, 1901, our friend Benito Albey,
who had been lieutenant of the militia and had distinguished
himself in the war against Spain, began, on our advice, a new
investigation, which was crowned with success.
" ' The document was found among the baggage left by
MURDER AS A GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY 761
Colonel Leyba to Teodoro de los Santos at Malolos, and which
the latter had remitted to a certain Tolo Quesada at Alava,
Pangasindn.
" ' I am sincerely happy that said document, which is the
clear proof of General Luna's iniquitous methods, should have
been found so that it may serve as a voucher to the thorough-
ness of General Otis' investigations ; although I would have
liked to keep it among my papers, I have more satisfaction to
be useful to the American General, who has obtained the
sympathy of the Filipinos by his kind treatment.
" ' And I hope, General Crowder, that you will say as much to
General Otis, as I wish him to know that there are Filipinos
who have kept a grateful recollection of him, and that all
Filipinos are not ungrateful.
" ' Very respectfully,
" ' Manuel Xeres Burgos.
" ' General Crowder.'
"On June 30, 1901, the original of this order, signed by
Luna and produced by Burgos, was shown to Aguinaldo, who,
after examining it, stated that the signature wasthat of General
Antonio Luna, with which he was well acquainted. He fur-
thermore stated that he had no personal knowledge of such an
order, and had hitherto been unaware of its existence. He
was then asked whether General Luna's authority, as Director
of War, was of sufficient scope to authorize him to issue such an
order ^\'ithout ex-press authority from the insurgent government.
He declined to answer this question.
"A photographic reproduction of the original of the order
of Luna, dated February 7, 1899, a prmted copy in Spanish,
the translation which preceded this note, and the correspond-
ence upon which the foregoing statement is based, is given
beginning on page 1903, Senate Document No. 331, part 2,
Fifty-seventh Congress, First Session, 'Hearings before the
Committee on the Philippmes of the United States Senate.'
"There does not seem to me to be the slightest reason for
doubting the authenticity of this order. It was an atrocious
one, but that argument is not sufficient to prove that the order
delivered up by Dr. Burgos was a forgery in whole or in part.
"The facts of the case seem to me to ,be the following:
In January, 1899, Doctor Burgos was employed in Bilibid
prison by the Americans, and as an officer of Sandatahan was
deep in the plotting for a general massacre of the foreigners in
Manila. Sometime that month he ^^Tote to Aguinaldo that the
uprising in Manila should begm in Bilibid prison, and that the
762 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
Sandatahan should be posted on San Pedro street and the ad-
jacent thoroughfares in preparation for an attack upon the
Zorilla theatre, where the Pennsylvania regiment was quartered
across the way from the prison (Exhibit 349). His sugges-
tion was adopted as part of the plan for the uprising. Burgos,
like the majority of the Filipinos in Manila, believed that
Aguinaldo would win, and was doing what he could to aid his
cause, but ■without giving up his position under the American
government. The plan embodied in Luna's order was to be
carried out as part of the attack upon Manila ; but that attack
was delivered prematurely, and it was found impossible to
carry out the uprising in Manila which was to have preceded
the attack upon the American lines. After February 5, 1899,
the majority of the Filipinos in Manila ceased to believe that
Aguinaldo was going to beat the Americans, and Burgos, who
was known to have taken part in the movement in Manila
headed by Sandico, found it expedient to ward off any investi-
gation of his conduct by giving information. He wanted to
stay out of prison, and he wanted to remain surgeon of Bilibid
prison. He was well aware that Sandico was known by the
Americans to have organized bodies of sandatahan in Manila,
and he therefore delivered to the provost marshal general a
partial copy of Lmia's order which, if it was not then in his
possession, he had seen ; and he saw no reason for telling more
than seemed expedient for the attainment of his immediate
purpose, he said that it had been issued by Sandico, who he
well knew the Americans would believe was the man most
likely to have issued it. He naturally desired to avoid having
to make too many explanations. In 1901, Luna being dead,
and Burgos being safe from his vengeance, he found no great
difficulty in delivering up the original document, which was
probably, as he said, in the papers of Colonel Leyba, or Leiva,
a native of Manila whose family lived there and whose house
had probably been a centre of insurgent intrigue. Li 1899 or
1900 Colonel Leyba, a trusted and confidential aid of Agui-
naldo, had been murdered by 'The Guards of Honour' in
Pangasindn Province, and Burgos seems to have had access to
his papers. This, at least to me, seems a plausible explanation
of the incomplete form in which this first order appeared, and
why it appeared at all. It is true that I have found no record
of it among the record-books kept at Malolos; but this order
was not of a character to be written out in full in any letter-
sent book ; and, furthermore, the record-books of the govern-
ment at ]\Ialolos show that almost no records were kept there
MURDER AS A GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY 763
for a week after the outbreak of hostilities. The clerks and
officials were probably busy in preparing to defend the place
against an advance of the Americans, whom they had hitherto
looked upon with contempt.
"John R. Taylor." ^
In reality there was nothing novel about the issuing of
such an order in the Phihppines.
Alfonso Ocampo, who was to have led the attack in an
attempt to massacre all Spaniards in Cavite at the out-
break of the revolt of 1896, testified as follows concerning
the proposed movement : —
"It was to be carried out in conjunction with the towns of
Imus and others of the province ; the people were to enter by
the Porta Vaga (the main gate of Cavite) and uniting into
groups, were to assault, kill and rob all the Spaniards. The
deponent was in charge of this affair. The jailer of the prison
was to distribute daggers among the prisoners and then re-
lease them. When the plot was discovered, some of these
arms had been distributed. The object of the rebellion was to
assassinate all the Spaniards, then to rape the women, and
cut their throats, as weO as those of their children, even the
smallest." -
On June 26, 1896, there was issued an order for an up-
rising in Manila, which contained the following provi-
sions, among others : —
"Fourth. While the attack is being made on the Captain-
General and other Spanish authorities, the men who are loyal
will attack the convents and behead their infamous inhabitants.
As for the riches contained in said convents, they will be taken
over by the commissioners appointed by tliis G. R. Log. for
the purpose, and, none of our brothers will be permitted to
take possession of that which justly belongs to the treasury of
the G. N. F. [Grand Philippine Nation ?-Tr.].
"Fifth. Those who violate the provisions of the preceding
paragraph ^vill be considered malefactors, and -will be sub-
jected to exemplary punishment by this G. R. Log. [Grand
Regional Lodge?].
1 This is the "note by compiler on exhibit 816," which is Lima's
order.
2 Taylor, 96 FZ.
764 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
"Sixth. On the following day the brothers designated will
bury the bodies of all the hateful oppressors, in the field of
Bgumbayan, as well as those of their wives and children. Later
a monument commemorating the independence of the G. N. F.
(Grand Philippine Nation ?) will be erected on that site.
"Seventh. The bodies of the friars will not be buried,
but will be burned in just payment for the crimes which during
their lives they committed against the noble Filipinos, for
three centuries of hateful domination." ^
As much is said, in the very numerous orders for assas-
sinations, of trials by courts of most summary procedure,
especial importance attaches to Taylor's statement that
there is an almost complete absence of records of trials
or legal proceedings among the two hundred and fifty
thousand documents on which his work was based. He
says that "there are probably less than twenty-five
records of trials among these papers, and not above one
or two records of military courts of summary procedure.
Law was the will of the official who would force obe-
dience to his desire. If he wanted to kill he killed." -
General MacArthur is credited by Blount with the
following statement : —
"The cohesion of Filipino society in behalf of insurgent
interests is most emphatically illustrated by the fact that
assassination, which was extensively employed, was generally
accepted as a legitimate expression of insurgent governmental
authority. The individuals marked for death would not appeal to
American protection, although condemned exclusively on account of
supposed pro- Americanism." ^
As a matter of fact, plenty of people appealed to the
Americans for protection and got it. I have seen docu-
ment after document each recommending some individual
to American officers everywhere as worthy of protection,
and as needing it on account of services rendered to
Americans. Relative to this matter, Taylor says : —
1 Tavlor, 99 PZ.
2 Ibid., 44 HS.
5 Blount, p. 313.
2 §
dJ O
Q; £
2"S
3
O
ft
a
MURDER AS A GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY 765
"Among the papers of the insurgents there are a few letters
to American officers asking for protection against the insurgents.
They represent a protest against conditions which were rapidly
becoming unbearable ; but most of them must have been sent
without copies, for in case they fell into the hands of the guer-
illas they would have served as death warrants for the men who
signed them. From early in 1900, they were much more
frequent all over the archipelago than the number which have
survived, either in the official records of the American army in
the Philippines, or among the papers of the insurgents, would
lead the investigator to beheve. Those which were sent to
the commanders of American detachments were not kept as
a rule, for a small detachment has few records. As early as
March, 1900, the head of the town of Passi, Panay, asked
American protection against robbers and insurgents." '■
General MacArthur had a fixed idea that all FiUpinos
were against us, but he was wrong.^
In very many cases our efforts to furnish protection
were necessarily futile. It is easy enough to protect a
town from an open attack. It is often excessively diffi-
cult to protect an individual against an assassin who
proffers him one hand in assumed friendship and stabs
him with the other.
We shall never know how many men were murdered
in accordance with the orders which I have cited, and other
similar ones.
On February 10, 1900, General P. Garcia wrote to
General Isidoro Torres advising him to inform the inhab-
itants of Bulacan, among whom it was understood that
the Americans were about to establish municipal govern-
ments, "of what occurred in the Island of Negros where
two hundred men have been shot and forty more have
1 Taylor, 70 HS.
2 "In December, 1900, the people of the town of Santa Cniz, Ilocos
Sur, seized the guerilla commander of the town because he had raped
some women, and then burnt their acts of adhesion to the insurgent
government. They declared themselves adherents of the Americans,
proceeded to give them all possible aid and assistance, and captured
and delivered to them all the guerillas who dared enter the place
(P. 1. R., Books C-13)." — Taylor, 4.5 HS.
766 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
been cast into the water for having accepted the American
sovereignty, and because they were suspected of not
being adherents of the cause of the independence of our
country." '
In reviewing the sentence of the Taytay murderers,
General Adna R. Chaffee, who, as the ranking mihtary
officer in the Philippines, was closely in touch with the
situation, made the following statement : —
"The number of peaceful men who have been murdered in
these islands at the instigation of the chiefs, while impracti-
cable of exact determination, is yet kno^Ti to be so great that
to recount them would constitute one of the most horrible
chapters in human history. With respect to these chiefs, the
commanding general has, therefore, no other recourse than to
invoke the unrelenting execution of the law upon them and to
appeal to the inteUigent and educated among the Filipino
people to aid him by renewed efforts to end a reign of terror of
which their own people are the helpless victims." ^
Taylor has made the following summary of the facts : —
"The justice of the United States was slow in its course;
witnesses had to be examined, and before a notorious criminal
could be punished it had to be proved that he had committed
some particular crime. Unless the crime was proved to the
satisfaction of a military commission by witnesses, the greater
part of whose testimony had to be translated into English
from some native language by an interpreter, who was almost
never an American, the man whom a whole village knew to
be an assassin would escape punishment and would return to
avenge himself upon those who had denounced him. The
justice of Aguinaldo was a different matter. The Americans
might hang for minder, but he would bury ahve for serving
them. The Americans might send a man to prison for burning
a town, only to release him when an error was found in the
proceedings. There were no errors in the proceedings of the
guerillas. There was usually no sununoning of witnesses,
no slow taking of testimony and no careful search for laches
which would invalidate the finding of the court and inure
to the benefit of the accused. It was sufficient for some native
to be denounced as in the employment of the Americans, or
' P. I. R., Books A-9, No. 39. « Taylor, 37 HS.
MURDER AS A GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY 767
as an agent, or as a civil officer under the United States, for a
summons to be issued for his appearance before a court of
summary procedure, which was a court in name only ; or for
a mandate to be sent ordering that ' the serviceable method of
dukut was to be employed in his case.' That meant that he
was kidnapped and murdered, usually after a priest had re-
ceived his confession ; or that he was sent back to the town
hamstruug, and with his tongue out, as a warning to the people
that the justice of Aguinaldo was sharp and that his arm was
long." 1
The blood of these men cries out against those who
would deceive the American people into believing that
the Filipinos were ever united in loyalty toward the
Filipino Republic or the leaders who made murder a
governmental agency in the Philippine Islands.
Most of the men who wi-ote the orders and perpetrated
the acts which I have cited are alive and active to-day.
Were independence granted, they would rule again the
country that they ruled before. Is there any reason for
believing that their warped intelligences have straight-
ened, or their hard hearts softened ? Would the United
States care to assume responsibihty for any government
which they could set up or would maintain ?
1 Taylor, 28-29 HS.
CHAPTER XXVII
The Philippine Legislatuke
From September 1, 1900, to October 16, 1907, the Phil-
ippine Commission was the sole legislative body. The
Act of Congress of July 1, 1902, temporarily providing
for the administration of the affairs of civil government
in the Philippine Islands, had provided for the taking of
a census after the insurrection should have ceased and a
condition of general and complete peace should have been
certified to by the commission. It had provided further
that two years after the publication of the census, if such
condition of peace had continued in the territory not
inhabited by Moros or other non-Christian tribes, and was
certified to the President by the commission, the President
should direct the commission to call, and the commission
should call, a general election for the choice of delegates
to a popular assembly to be known as the Philippine
Assembly, and that after said assembly should convene
and organize all the legislative power theretofore con-
ferred on the commission in all that part of the islands not
inhabited by Moros or other non-Christian tribes should
be vested in a legislature consisting of two houses, the
Philippine Commission and the Phihppine Assembly.
The first of the certificates required of the commission
was issued on September 8, 1902. President Roosevelt
on September 23, 1902, issued an order for the taking of
the census.
On March 28, 1905, Governor-General Wright pro-
claimed the publication of the census. On March 28,
1907, the commission issued the second of the certificates
required of it.^
' The essential part of the resolution reads as follows : —
"Whereas since the completion and publication of said census there
768
THE PHILIPPINE LEGISLATURE 769
The following day a cablegram was received from the
President directing the commission to call a general elec-
tion for the choice of delegates, and on March 30, 1907,
the commission adopted the necessary resolution caUing
such election to be held on July 30, 1907, in accordance with
an election law previously passed on January 9 of the same
year. This law provided for eighty-one delegates pro-
portioned among thirty-five provinces according to popu-
lation, except that each province entitled to representation
was allotted at least one delegate, no matter how few
people it might have. Cebu, the most populous of all,
was given seven. The Mountain Province, the Moro
Province, Nueva Vizcaya and Agusan were left without
representation because of the predominance of Moros or
other non-Christians among their people. On April 1,
have been no serious disturbances of the public order save and except
those caused by the noted outlaws and bandit chieftains Felizardo
and Montaldn, and their followers in the Provinces of Cavite and Batan-
gas, and those caused in the Provinces of Samar and Leyte by the
non-Christian and fanatical pulajanes resident in the mountain dis-
tricts of the said provinces and the barrios contiguous thereto ; and
"Whereas the overwhelming majority of the people of the said
Provinces of Cavite, Batangas, Samar, and Leyte have not taken part
in said disturbances and have not aided nor abetted the lawless acts
of said bandits and pulajanes ; and
" Whereas the great mass and body of the Filipino people have,
during said period of two years, continued to be law-abiding, peaceful,
and loyal to the United States, and have continued to recognize and
do now recognize the authority and sovereignty of the United States
in the territory of said Philippine Islands : Now, therefore, be it
"Resolved by the Philippine Commission in formal session duly
assembled. That it, said Philippine Commission, do certify, and it
does hereby certify, to. the President of the United States that for a
period of two years after the completion and publication of the cen-
sus a condition of general and complete peace, with recognition of
the authority of the United States, has continued to exist and now
exists in the territory of said Philippine Islands not inhabited by
Moros or other non-Christian tribes ; and be it further
" Resolved by said Philippine Commission, That the President of
the United States be requested, and is hereby requested, to direct
said Philippine Commission to call a general election for the choice
of delegates to a popular assembly of the people of said territory in the
Philippine Islands, which assemljly shall be known as the Philippine
Assembly." — Journal of the Commission, Vol. I, pp. 8-9.
770 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
1907, the governor-general issued a proclamation embody-
ing the resolution of the commission.
The election was duly held, and on October 16, 1907, the
first session of the Phihppine Legislature was opened,
under authority of the President, by Mr. Taft, then
secretary of war, who had returned to the Islands for
this and other purposes.
The action of the commission in issuing its second
certificate has been criticised on account of conditions
which arose subsequent to the publication of the census,
in Cavite, La Laguna and Samar. These conditions were
referred to in the commission resolution. There was no
desire to conceal or misrepresent them. As we have
already seen, the trouble in Samar was stirred up by
abuses among the hill people. It has been claimed that
they were not members of any non-Christian tribe.
There are a limited number of genuine wild people in
Samar, but the great majority of the so-called jmldjanes
were in reaUty remontados ' or the descendants of re-
montados.
In La Laguna and Cavite disorder caused by wandering
ladrone bands at one time had become so serious that it
was deemed advisable temporarily to suspend the writ of
habeaus corpus and to authorize the reconcentration of
the law-abiding inhabitants of certain regions to the end
that they might be adequately protected and to make it
easier to distinguish between good citizens, and thieves
and murderers.
Whether these occurrences were or were not to be con-
sidered as of such a nature as to render it impossible to
certify that a condition of "general and complete peace,
with recognition of the authority of the United States"
had continued to exist in the Philippine territory not
occupied by IVIoros or other non-Christians, was a matter
' A designation applied by the Spaniards to people who had taken
to the hills to avoid paying taxes or to escape abuses, or punishment for
crimes.
THE PHILIPPINE LEGISLATURE 771
of judgment, and the commission exercised the best
judgment it possessed.
Dm-ing the Spanish days ladronism had always been
rampant, affecting every province in the islands and being
especially bad in the immediate vicinity of Manila. When
we issued our certificate we had httle hope of promptly
ridding the archipelago of ladrones, as has since been done.
On the contrary we expected that a certain amount of
ladronism would continue for many years. We did not
think that it should be considered pubhc disorder within
the meaning of the act of Congress. Furthermore, we
were all anxious to encourage the Filipinos and to give
them a chance to show what they could do. I for one
hoped that by this act of liberality we might win the good-
will, and secure the real cooperation, of many of the
Filipino politicians. It is always easy to look back and
see one's mistakes. I now know that nothing could
have been more futile than the hope of gaining the good-
will of the men with whom we were deahng by any
concessions whatsoever, yet the attempt was worth mak-
ing. It is the wild men in the hills and the good old
taos ' in the lowland plains who appreciate and are
grateful for fair treatment when they reahze that they
are receiving it.
The politicians of the present day are a hungry lot.
The more they are fed, the more their appetites grow, and
the wider their voracious maws open. Most of them are
without gratitude or appreciation, and regard concessions
as evidences of weakness on the part of those who grant
them. Philippine officials and lawmakers might as well
make up their minds to do what is right because it is right,
and let it go at that. By the same token they should
refrain from doing what is questionable in the hope that the
good-will resulting will more than counterbalance the pos-
sible evil effect of doubtful measures.
• A TagSlog designation applied to the common people, and espe-
cially to field labourers.
772 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
It cannot be denied that the issuance by the comnoission
of its certificate of March 30, 1907, was a somewhat doubt-
ful measure, involving a rather strained construction of
the words ' ' general and complete peace, with recognition
of the authority of the United States" in the Act of Con-
gress of July 1, 1902. I am now firmly of the opinion
that in thus giving the Filipinos the benefit of the doubt
we erred, with the result that the Philippine Assembly
came at least ten years too soon. Its creation in 1907
has resulted in imposing a heavy financial burden on the
country for wliich there has been no adequate com-
pensating return.
In the Plulippine Legislature neither house enjoys any
special privileges, and either may originate any bill which
the legislature is authorized to pass. The assembly
has been characterized as "a harmless little debating
society" and the government of the Philippines has been
called "a toy government" because it was claimed that
no real powers were given to the lower house. The
commission has exclusive power to legislate for certain
non-Christian territory. In all other legislative matters
the assembly and the commission have equal power.
The passage of legislation requires affirmative action by
both houses, a condition which is certainly sufficiently
common in legislative bodies composed of two houses, and
one that does not ordinarily evoke criticism.
Of late the assembly has claimed for itself the exclusive
right to initiate appropriation bills, but there is not a ves-
tige of legal authority for such a claim, and even the so-
called "Jones Bill" does not confer such right on the lower
house. It shares, with the upper house, one power of
deadly effectiveness. It can prevent legislation on any
subject whatsoever. It has not hesitated to employ this
power, when occasion arose, to obstruct the passage of
many important and desirable measures, either in the hope
of being able in the end to make a trade and thus securing
the passage of acts of more than doubtful utility, or be-
A Bit of the Pagsanjan GoRiiE.
THE PHILIPPINE LEGISLATURE 773
cause of a purpose to prevent the enactment of laws
dealing with the matters in question.
The most striking instance of the blocking of important
legislation by the assembly is afforded by its action in
tabling four anti-slavery acts passed by the commission at
successive legislative sessions. Tliis matter has already
been fully discussed. ^
The history of the Cadastral Survey Act affords an
example of the holding up bj'^ the assembly of a measure
of undoubted and undenied utiUty in order to attempt
to force the passage of positively vicious acts.
The case of the would-be landowner who has occupied
land for years under such conditions that he could have
completed an unperfected title to it, and who finally
desires for one reason or another to do so, has been a
rather hard one, as the cost of the necessary survey is
chargeable to him and when a survey party has to be sent
a long distance to measure a Httle tract of land the ratio
of such cost to the value of the land is often very high.
Cost of surveys can be materially reduced if all the pri-
vately owned land parcels in a given area are surveyed
consecutively, and tliis procedure has the further great
advantage of effectively deUmitating the pubHc domain
in the area in question.
In the interest of small property owTiers, advantage
has been taken of provisions of the Public Land Act
which make it possible to compel the survey of private
lands under certain conditions in cases of doubt as to
ownership. As soon as the people concerned could be
made to understand our object in doing tliis they be-
came enthusiastic about it, but the legal procedure
authorized was by no means adequate er satisfactory,
and there was gi-eat need of the passage of a carefully
drafted Cadastral Survey Act providing the necessary
legal machinery for accomplisliing the desired end with
the least possible delay and at the lowest possible ex-
' See p. 699 et seq.
VOL. II T
774 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
pense, and providing further for the distribution of such
expense between the insular, provincial and municipal
governments and the property owners. All are inter-
ested parties, the insular government because it learns
what land in a given region belongs to the pubUc domain ;
the provincial and mumcipal governments because the
collection of taxes is faciUtated, and accurate maps of
towns and barrios are made.
Such an act w-as passed by the commission. It was
clearly and indisputably designed expressly for the benefit
of poor Filipinos. No legitimate objection could be made
to it. The treatment accorded it by the Phihppine
Assembly conclusively demonstrates the irresponsibility
of that body, and its unfitness to deal with great questions
which vitally affect the common people. Realizing that
the commission, and especially the governor-general,
were earnestly desirous of securing its passage, the
assembly refused to pass it. It was duly reintroduced
at the next session of the legislature.
I was a member of the commission conference com-
mittee appointed to meet a similar committee from the
assembly and discuss it. The assembly committee
informed us at the outset that a sine qua non for the dis-
cussion of the bill was that we should agree to an amend-
ment which would admit, without examination, to the
work of making pubhc land surveys Fihpino so-called
surveyors, Imown to be utterly incompetent, who coiild
not make correct surveys under the most favourable cir-
cumstances. But tins was not all. It was generally
understood that an additional requu-ement was to be
an amendment to the Judiciary Act providing for a num-
ber of new judges. The commission committee believed
that they were unnecessary, and were asked for with a view
to making places for pohtical appointees. Needless to
say, the Cadastral Survey Act failed in conference. In the
session of 1912-1913 it finally passed, with practically all of
these objectionable featm-es eUminated, but it is at present
THE PHILIPPINE LEGISLATURE 775
much less useful than it might be for the reason that
an act amending the Judiciary Act so as to pro-
vide more judges in the Court of Land Registration,
where they are badly needed, instead of for courts of first
instance, where no such necessity exists, was killed in
the assembly.
As it will take the Court of Land Registration something
Uke three years to finish hearing the cases alreadj^ in hand,
the preparation of a large additional number for it, as a
result of the apphcation of the Cadastral Act, will not
materially help the present situation unless the number of
its judges is increased. There is reason to fear that future
attempts to bring this about will be met by demands that
there be more judges of first instance, and that they be
given jurisdiction in land cases, which should be decided
by specially trained and quahfied men.
One who examined only the laws actually passed by the
legislature might gain the impression that the assembly
had done good work. It should be remembered that 312
acts passed by that body have been disapproved by the
commission. Had they become laws there would have
been a very different story to tell. One hundred and
seven acts passed by the commission have been disap-
proved by the assembly. A careful study of these two
groups of acts will be found worth while, but in order
to make the picture complete it should be supplemented by
detailed consideration of the amendments to assembly
bills made by the commission before they have been
passed, which have sometimes involved the striking out
of everything after title, and the insertion of practically
new provisions. It should further be remembered that
many really good measures, which have apparently
originated as assembly bills, have been drafted bj- mem-
bers of the commission, or under their direction, and then
first presented in the assembly in order to facilitate their
passage.
Had some one of the several gentlemen who have made
776 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
brief visits to the Philippines and then expressed their
views as to tlie fitness of the Filipinos for early indepen-
dence devoted himself to the line of study above outlined,
he would have gained valuable information on their
present fitness to legislate, and we should perhaps now be
profiting by the practical results of an experiment already
made, instead of embarking on a new and dangerous
one.
I cannot here do more than briefly call attention to the
nature of a few of the bills killed by the commission and
the assembly respectively. For convenience of reference,
I refer to these bills by session and number.
FIRST LEGISLATURE
Inaugural Session
Assembly Bill 117 was "An Act to extend the period
within which provincial boards organized under the Pro-
vincial Government Act may remit the collection of the
land tax in their respective provinces."
This was the first of a very long series of assembly
measures designed to abolish or reduce existing taxes, or
indefinitely to postpone the time for their collection.
Provincial boards, with a majority of their members
elective, were very amenable to influence in the matter
of "postponing" the collection of the land tax.
The per capita rate of taxation is lower in the Philip-
pines than in any other civilized country. Money is
badly needed for education, health work and the improve-
ment of means of communication, and all of these meas-
ures were ill-advised.
First Session and Special Session of 1908
Assembly Bill 23 provided for the appointment of jurors
in courts of first instance and justice of the peace
courts. Under it the provincial boards were to select
THE PHILIPPINE LEGISLATURE 777
the eligibles from a list of names submitted by the mu-
nicipal councils of the provincial capitals. This would in
effect have put the administration of justice in the hands
of the pohtical party in power.
Assembly Bill 104 was entitled " An Act amending Act
numbered fifteen hundred and tliirty-seven of the Philip-
pine Commission on horse-races in the Phihppine Islands."
Gambling is the besetting sin of the Filipinos, and in
the city of Manila gambling in connection with horse rac-
ing had grown to be such a scandal that the commission had
been compelled to take action limiting the days on which
it was permitted to legal holidays and one Sunday per
month. The evil had reached large dimensions. Several
race-tracks were maintained in one small city, and the
money that went through the totalizer, or gambling
machine, had reached the enormous sum of S3, 500, 000
per year. Even poorly paid clerks were leaving their work
to bet on the races, and then stealing in order to recoup
themselves for their losses. The morals of the community
were being rapidly undermined. The act passed by the
commission interfered with the business of conducting
daily crooked races. It certainly left plenty of oppor-
tunity to indulge in horse-racing as a legitimate sport.
The amendment proposed by the assembly permitted
horse-racing on all Sundays, on three daj^s prior to Lent
and on all legal holidays except Memorial Day, Rizal
Day and Thursday and Friday of Holy Week. If passed
it would have protected certain vicious interests and
opened the way to a prompt extension of the gambling
business.
Assembly Bill 134 reduced the tax on distilled intoxi-
cating liquors one-fourth. The tax was already low.
The rate proposed by the assembly was a concession to
the demand of powerful interests and its attitude was
worthy of severe condenmation.
778 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
Assembly Bill 136 abolished provincial boards of health,
substituted therefor district health officers and took
important powers away from the director of health and
gave them to provincial boards. Substantial progress
had been made in improving provincial sanitaiy condi-
tions through provincial boards of health, under the
control of the director of health. As was to be antici-
pated in a country like the Philippines, many necessary
health measures were unpopular. This bill, vitally
affecting one of the most imperative needs of the islands,
would if concurred in by the commission have resulted
in widespread disaster.
Assembly Bill 148 provided for the teaching of the local
native dialects in the public schools. This would have
had the effect of doing away with the teaching of English,
or preventing its inauguration, in many places ; would
have emphasized and perpetuated the different native
dialects ; would have helped to keep the people speaking
these several dialects apart, and would thus seriously
have hampered progress toward national unity. One
of the most important and useful things that the American
government is doing is to generalize the knowledge of the
English language, which not only gives the several peoples
of the archipelago a common means of communication,
but opens up new fields of knowledge to them and makes
it easy for them to travel. Even during the days of the
Filipino "republic" Mabini advocated making English
the official language.^
1 Mabini's "True Decalogue," published as a part of his constitu-
tional programme for the Philippine Republic (P. I. R., 40. 10) contains
the following among other remarkable provisions : —
"Elementary instructions shall comprise reading, speaking and
writing correctly the official language which is Tagalog, and the rudi-
mentary principles of English and of the exact physical and natural
sciences, together with a slight knowledge of the duties of man and
citizenship." — Taylor, 19 MG.
Also the following : —
"Whenever the English language is sufSeiently diffused through
the whole Philippine Archipelago it shall be declared the official lan-
guage." — Taylor, 20 MG.
THE PHILIPPINE LEGISLATURE 779
Assembly Bill 197 abolished the Bureau of Civil Service
and organized in its stead a division attached to the Bureau
of Audits. This bill, ostensibly an economy measure,
was designed to minimize the usefulness of one of the most
important bureaus of the government. In the early
days of the American regime Filipinos who had served
the government were often deeply offended that appoint-
ments were not given to members of their families or to
their near relatives, absolutely irrespective of their fitness
for office. Naturally they disapproved of the civil
service law when they found that it prevented such
appointments.
Second Session
Assembly Bill 201 prohibited the employment of for-
eigners as engineers or as assistant engineers on vessels
in the Philippine Islands. There were at this time an
extremely limited number of Filipinos capable of filling
such positions, which were largely held by Spaniards and
other Europeans who had married native women and had
lived in the islands for years. This measure would have
crippled shipping companies and would have been a grave
injustice to the men above referred to.
Assembly Bill 278, which heavily reduced taxes on dis-
tilled spirits and cigarettes, was another attempt to make
concessions to certain large tobacco and liquor interests,
which could perfectly well afford to pay at the rates then
prescribed. It would have decreased the annual insular
revenues about $1,000,000 at a timewhen itwas anticipated
Of this language matter Taylor says : —
"Mabini's plan of having English the language of the state is odd.
He wanted independence and he wanted the recognition of the right
and of the ability of the natives to govern themselves ; and yet he
wanted them to adopt a foreign language. By the-time this pamphlet
was published, or shortly afterwards, Tagiilog had been tried and
found wanting. The people of the non-Tagalog provinces did not
know it and showed no desire to learn it, and indeed protested against
its use. Spanish, and all things Spanish, Mabini was weary of, and
would sweep them all away. Yet, when ho wrote this he did not know
English."
780 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
that free trade with the United States, resulting from the
passage of the Payne Bill, would greatly reduce customs
duties. Such a loss would seriously have crippled the
administration of the islands.
Assembly Bill 352 exempted all uncultivated land,
except land in Manila, from the payment of the land tax
for a period of five years. The excuse given for its
passage was the alleged lack of draft animals. Its real
purpose was to exempt valuable property from taxation.
It would have encouraged the continued holding of great
tracts of uncultivated land and was in the interest of large
landowners whose land taxes were likely to be burden-
some if they did not come to a reasonable agreement with
their tenants and bring their holdings under cultivation.
Assembly Bill 360, "specifying the responsibility in a
publication and amending certain sections of the existing
libel law," would have rendered that law abortive by mak-
ing it possible for a newspaper to employ as a "libel
editor" some irresponsible person who would be glad to go
to jail upon occasion for a consideration.
The Phihppines has a fairly good libel law and it was
imperatively needed, for in oriental countries especially,
the tendency of a public press which has been subjected
to the strictest censorship is to run to license when com-
plete liberty suddenly comes.
Assembly Bill 370, creating the new province of Zam-
boanga, embodied an attempt on the part of that body to
legislate for territory inhabited by Moros and other non-
Christian tribes, over which it had no jurisdiction. If
passed, it would have led to bloodshed between Moros and
Filipinos.
Assembly Bill 433 was an act prohibiting the use of
lumber imported from foreign countries in the construc-
tion of pubhc buildings. It was not then possible to get
enough native lumber to erect the public buildings
authorized and needed. The passage of this act under the
circumstances showed lack of business sense.
A Giant Tree Fern.
THE PHILIPPINE LEGISLATURE 781
Assembly Bill 487 provided for compulsory school
attendance. It was so worded as to make it largely in-
operative, and if operative it would have been imprac-
ticable, as there were something like 1,200,000 children of
school age in the islands and there were neither teachers
enough to instruct them, schoolhouses enough to hold
them, nor funds available with which to pay for new build-
ings and additional teachers. Its passage showed lack of
business sense.
Assembly Bill 547 amended the so-called "bandoler-
ismo ' act." Up to the time of the American occupation
brigandage had been a crying evil throughout the islands.
The amendment proposed would not only have greatly
weakened the act under which it had been very success-
fully suppressed, but would have turned loose 1156 crim-
inals, many of whom were desperate and hardened,
seriously disturbing the tranquillity of the country and
necessitating the early hunting down of many of
them.
Assembly Bill 567 was "An Act empowering the Secre-
tary of Commerce and Police to make contracts with silk
producers, insuring them the purchase of their silk at a
price not to exceed $9 per pound." The Bureau of
Science had conclusively demonstrated the possibility
of estabhshing a silk industry in the Philippines. This
extraordinary measure would have made it possible for
an executive officer to provide for the expenditure of all
the revenues of the government in case of a great develop-
ment of the silk industry. Its passage showed lack of
business sense.
Assembly Bill 558 was "An Act to provide for a perma-
nent annual appropriation of $15,000 to reward the
inventor of a steam plough or any mechanical engineer who
shall perfect a ploughing machine." It was a foolish meas-
ure, as there were various successful steam ploughs and
other motor-drawn ploughs then in use, and there was no
' Brigandage.
782 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
good reason for offering a reward for the invention of a
thing which already existed.
Assembly Bill 395 was a most extraordinary and dan-
gerous measure. The Spanish law fi.xed the age of consent
of women at twenty-three, which is about ten years after
the time when young girls in the Philippines begin to turn
their thoughts toward marriage. Whenever a man had
sexual relations with a woman under twenty-three he was
liable to go to jail for rape unless pardoned by the parents,
grandparents or guardian. This provision of law was
continually taken advantage of in blackmailing persons.
Suit would be brought and the necessary proof provided.
Pardon would be offered for a consideration. The crime
was known as a private crime, not a crime against the
public. The commission had amended the Penal Code,
making it a public crime so that once complaint was made
no pardon on the part of the interested persons could stop
the proceedings. There had been a consequent noticeable
falling off in the number of cases brought for the purpose
of extorting money. Assembly Bill 395 was designed to
change this state of affairs and restore the old conditions.
It was a vicious measure.
Special Sessio7i 1910
Assembly Bill 396 authorized the use of certain kinds of
sledges on improved roads, although it had been abun-
dantly demonstrated that they were veritable road
destroyers. The commission had passed a law prohibit-
ing their use and the natives had been compelled to sub-
stitute for them carts with wide-tired wheels that turned
freely on their axles, and improved the roads instead of
ruining them. This bill was an effort to authorize a
return to the road-wrecking practices which had pre-
viously prevailed.
Assembly Bill 481, "An Act prohibiting the admittance
of women and of minors under eighteen years of age into
THE PHILIPPINE LEGISLATURE 783
cock-pits established in the Philippine Islands," was a
measure encouraging vice, masquerading in the guise of a
reform. By inference it permitted the entrance of women
and minors more than 18 years of age to cock-pits for the
purpose of gambling, and it provided that women and
minors could go as sightseers !
Assembly Bill 491 authorized certain classes of people
to have firearms irrespective of their individual char-
acteristics. The presence of firearms in the hands of
irresponsible people had been a source of great trouble and
the granting of gun licenses was then restricted to persons
in whom the government had entire confidence. This
had been an important factor in suppressing brigandage
and highway robbery, and the proposed change in the law
was highly undesirable.
Second Session
Assembly Bill 141, "An Act repealing the last paragraph
of Act Numbered 1979," took away from the governor-
general authority to approve suspension of the additional
cedula tax for road purposes, and gave it to provincial
boards. The need of improved highways was very great
as the inadequate system which had existed under the
Spanish regime had gone to pieces during the war. A
comprehensive plan of highways for the islands had been
worked out and was being put into effect as rapidly as
possible. This act would have allowed provincial boards
to determine whether funds should be collected for road
construction and maintenance, thus bringing this funda-
mentally unportant question into the domain of local
politics.
Assembly Bill 168 provided that "the Spanish language
shall continue to be the official language of the courts until
such time as the Philippine Legislature shall provide
otherwise."
The reasons why the generalization of English was
784 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
desirable in the Philippines have already been stated.
Under then-existing provisions of law it was to become
the official language of the courts in 1913. Assembly
Bill 168 would have had the effect of leaving Spanish the
official court language for an indefinite time, thus dis-
couraging the use of English and discriminating against
young lawyers who had made every effort to obtain a good
knowledge of it because of its supposed certainty of use-
fulness to them.
A novel and objectionable feature of Assembly Bill 947,
which appropriated $375,000 for the construction of roads
and bridges, was that it made executive action of the
secretary of commerce and police subject to the approval
of a committee of the legislature.
First and Special Sessions of 1913
Assembly Bill 91 was "An Act prohibiting the exhibi-
tion of inhabitants of the non-Christian tribes, and estab-
lishing penalties for its violation."
This act grew out of the desire of the assembly to con-
ceal the fact of the existence of wild peoples in the Philip-
pines. It prohibited the publication of indecent photo-
graphs of non-Christians, and the appearance at any fair
or carnival of a member of a non-Christian tribe clothed
in such a manner as to offend against public morals. The
commission committee which had this Act under advise-
ment stated, as a part of their report on it, that : —
"It is obvious that no indecent or immoral picture should
be published, irrespective of whether the person or persons
depicted are Christian or non-Christian. It is equally evident
that no person should be allowed to appear at any exposition,
fair or carnival in a costume which offends against morality,
whatever may be his religious beliefs or his tribal relationships.
Your committee is of the opinion that there now exists on the
statute books adequate legislation properly penalizing the one
offense and the other."
THE PHILIPPINE LEGISLATURE 785
This act also attempted to limit the right of non-Chris-
tians to enter into contracts.
Assembly Bill 130, "An Act declaring invalid the con-
fession or declaration of a defendant against himself, when
made under certain circmnstances," provided that courts
should not give anj' value to a confession or declaration,
oral or written, of any defendant against himself made
before the agents of the constabulary', municipal police,
judicial or executive officers, or before any other person
not vested with authority, during his preventive detention,
or while in their custody, imless ratified by the defendant
himself in proper style before a competent court.
Only persons famiUar with the extreme timidity of many
Filipino witnesses, and with the frequency with which they
deny in court true statements p^e^^ously made by them,
can appreciate the dangerous character of this measure.
Assembly Bill 170, "-An Act obliging manufacturing,
industrial, agricultural, and commercial enterprises in the
Phihppine Islands to pro\'ide themselves with a duly
qualified physician and a medicine chest for urgent cases
of accident and disease among their laborers, and for other
purposes," would have had the effect of forcing the em-
ploj-ment of a large number of incompetent Filipino
phj'sicians for the reason that no one else would have been
available to fill many of the positions in question.
-Assembly Bill 172, "An Act protecting the plantation of
the cocoanut tree," prohibited the damaging, destroying,
uprooting or killing of any cocoanut plant or plants without
the owner's consent. There was then going on a large
amount of highway construction and widening. This
bill would have strengthened the position of certain per-
sons disposed to ask exorbitant prices for land needed
for rights of way. At about this time the Manila Rail-
road Company was compelled to pay a large sum for
orange trees on a piece of land through which its road was
to pass. On investigation the orange trees proved to be
cuttings from branches, or young seedlings, recently
786 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
stuck into the ground, many of them being akeady
dead.
Assembly Bill 250 would if passed have had the effect of
depriving agents of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty
to Animals of the power to make arrests, and of compelling
the payment of all fines imposed and collected through the
efforts of the society into the insular treasury, so that
the society would have been dependent upon direct appro-
priations for funds with which to prosecute its work. For
three successive years there had been no appropriation bill.
The Filipinos have little sympathy with the work of this
society, and this was a scheme to kill it. Under the exist-
ing law one-half of the fines in question go to it for use in
promoting its objects.
Assembly Bill 251, "An Act to create riu-al guards in all
the municipalities organized under Act No. 82, and for
other purposes," would seriously have interfered with the
maintenance of a proper state of pubUc order. The duties
which it proposed to vest in rural guards are now per-
formed most satisfactorily by the PhiUppine Constabu-
lary. The effect of the bill would have been to restrict
the administrative authority of the cUrector of con-
stabulary over the movements of his force, and to interfere
with the administrative authority of mimicipal presidents
to utilize their police as in their judgment the pubUc
interests require.
Assembly Bill 262 contained the following : —
"Prodded: That the Director of Agriculture or his agents
shall not adopt quarantine measures in pro\4nces organized
under Act No. 83 -svithout previous agreement with the Pro-
vincial Boards concerned."
For many years no more serious problem has faced the
insular government than that of stamping out the con-
tagious diseases which were decimating the horses and
cattle of the islands and threatening to render agricul-
ture almost impossible. The director of agriculture was
THE PHILIPPINE LEGISLATURE 787
necessarily given wdde authority in the matter of estab-
lishing proper quarantmes. This act would have taken
necessary powers from him and vested them in provincial
boards. Quarantinmg was very unpopular with tlie very
people who were benefited most by it, hence the passage of
this act.
Assembly Bill 282 was designed to do away with the
public unprovement tax in the provinces of Palawan,
Mmdoro and Batanes, and to substitute therefor the so-
called double cedula tax. This would have resulted in
decreasing by one-half the amount of money available
for the construction of public works in those provinces
and increasing in the same amount that available for pay-
ing salaries of officials and employees.
Assembly Bill 312, amending "The Philippine Road
Law" "so as to punish the violent occupation of land
on both sides of any public highway, bridge, wharf, or
trail at present occupied by other persons, since prior to
the passage of such Act," would have prevented the
recovery by the government of highway rights of way
where they had been encroached upon by abutting owners
during the long period of neglect of road maintenance
attendant upon war.
Assembly Bill 319, entitled "An Act to prohibit, and
punish judges for the issuance of orders of arrest at hours
of the night or on days other than working days," was a
most extraordinary measure, the object and effect of which
are apparent from merely reading its title. There are 365
nights and 63 legal hohdays in the year, so that the time
during which judges could issue orders of arrest without
exposing themselves to punishment would have been
somewhat restricted.
Assembly Bill 324, entitled "An Act amending certain
articles of the Penal Code of the Phihppine Islands," had
for its object the reduction of the age of consent of women
to the crimes of abduction and seduction.
Assembly Bill 348 pro\'ided for the formation of a "poor
788 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
list," and regulated "gratuitous medical attendance at
public dispensaries and hospitals in the city of Manila and
the municipahties, or pubhc hospitals in the provinces."
One of the great things which the American govern-
ment has done for the Phihppines is to bring medical and
surgical service of a high order within the reach of a very
large number of poor persons. By the proposed bill free
service to Filipinos was limited to those who declared them-
selves to be paupers. Many of the deserving poor would
have preferred to perish miserably rather than make such
a declaration. Most of the self-respecting poor of the
islands are not paupers. Free service could be rendered
to foreigners only on presentation of certificates of poverty
from their consuls, usually residing in Manila, which would
have worked great hardship on such persons living in remote
parts of the islands and in need of immediate attention.
Charitable free service furnished by the government was
objected to by certain Fihpino physicians, who hoped to get
paid for attending the persons thus relieved. The practi-
cal result of the bill would have been to force the poor to
depend on these people, and to pay their charges, which are
frequently very exorbitant.
COMMISSION BILLS DISAPPROVED BY THE ASSEMBLY
SECOND LEGISLATURE
Conmaission Bill 55, amending "The Philippine Admin-
istrative Act by including vessels within the provisions of
Sections 322 and 323 of said Act," was designed to make
vessels responsible for the transportation of contraband
cargo, or for smuggling merchandise, in the same degree
that attached to vehicles for land transportation, the
attorney-general having held that the word "vehicle"
used in the existing law could not be construed to include
vessels. This measure was important in connection with
the suppression of opium smuggling.
Commission Bill 59 amended an act providing for the
^ ^ -~^
^
< J
il
/
THE PHILIPPINE LEGISLATURE 789
punishment of perjury "by changing the punishment for
perjury and by punishing persons who endeavour to procure
or incite other persons to commit perjury." Its object
was to remedy a defect in existing law under which there
is no punishment provided for subornation of perjury
in official investigations.
Commission Bill 60, "An Act defining habitual crim-
inals and providing additional punishment for the same,"
had for its object the breaking up of petty thieving, the
records of the Bureau of Prisons showing that one hundred
twenty-nine persons had been convicted twice, twenty a
third time and one as high as thirty-two times. It would
unquestionably have been a very useful measure.
The Supreme Court of the United States had found that
certain punishments of the Spanish Penal Code, partic-
ularly with reference to the falsification of public and pri-
vate documents, were cruel and unusual, and under its
decisions a number of criminals, who should have served
moderate sentences, were turned loose because the sen-
tences actually imposed were admittedly too severe.
The Penal Code fixed the penalties in such cases and gave
no option to the judge to impose lesser ones. This
decision of the Supreme Court of the United States had
the practical effect of making it impossible to penahze
certain crimes at all. Commission Bill 61 remedied this
situation by providing moderate penalties. The bill was
asked for by the secretary of finance and justice, who is
a Filipino, and by the president of the code committee,
but the assembly would not pass it.
THIRD LEGISLATURE
First Session and Special Session
Commission Bill 59 provided "more severe punishment
for illegal importers and dealers in opium."
Great difficulty has been experienced in endeavouring
to check the use of opium in the islands.
790 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
Commission Bill 70 provided for gradually restricting
cock-fighting by decreasing from year to year the number of
days on which it was allowed. It imposed annual license
fees of S5 on each fighting cock or cock in training, pro-
hibited persons under 18 years of age and women, except
tourists, from entering cock-pits, and forbade all games
of chance of any kind on the premises of a cock-pit.
This very cursory review of some of the acts which have
failed of passage will serve to show, in a general way, the
attitudes of the two houses toward a number of important
questions.
Had the commission not prevented the passage of much
dangerous and vicious legislation approved by the as-
sembly the public service would have suffered seriously,
and public order would have been endangered.
Heretofore the commission has prevented the enact-
ment of really vicious legislation. By giving the Filipinos
a majority in this body a very important safeguard has
been removed.
Another serious result will follow. It was undoubtedly
the will of Congress, when its Act of July 1, 1902, was
passed, that Americans should control legislation for the
Moros and other non-Christians ; hence the power to
legislate for the territory which they inhabit was reserved
by Congress for the commission. Under the new arrange-
ment Filipinos will control in this matter also, and so the
will of Congress will be defeated, although the letter of the
law is not violated. The outlook for the backward peoples
of the islands, under these circumstances, cannot fail to
arouse grave apprehension among all who are genuinely
interested in them.
The elections for delegates to the assembly have caused
endless trouble in many of the provinces. Neither the
people at large nor the candidates themselves have as yet
learned cheerfully to accept the will of the majority, and
the number of protested election cases is out of all propor-
tion to the number of delegates.
THE PHILIPPINE LEGISLATURE 791
In many towns, like Cuyo, these elections have given
rise to serious feuds which have brought their previously
rapid social and material progress to a standstill, divided
famiUes against each other, and in general have produced
very disastrous results. Many of the best people of Cuyo
are now begging to have the right to elect an assemblyman
taken from their province, on the ground that otherwise
there is no hope for the restoration of normal conditions.
The assembly is the judge of the qualifications of its
members. It has seen fit to admit a number of very
disreputable characters. In my opinion neither the char-
acter of its members nor that of the legislation passed
by it has justified its estabhshment, much less the
" Filipinization " of the commission.
CHAPTER XXVIII
The Picturesque Philippines
Having now devoted a good deal of time to the con-
sideration of political conditions in the Philippines,
let us turn our attention to the islands themselves and
consider their phj'sical characteristics, their cUmate
and their commercial possibilities.
There has been much discussion as to the number of
islands in the archipelago. The United States Coast
and Geodetic Survey has counted them. Big and little
they number thirty-one hundred fortj^-one, of which ten
himdred ninety-five are large and fertile enough to be
inhabited.
The total land area is a hundred fifteen thousand
twenty-six square miles. The Philippines lie between
5° and 22° North Latitude and 117° and 127° East
Longitude. It follows that the lowlands throughout
the archipelago have a tropical climate, and in the
past those two words have been very generally con-
sidered to spell danger for people of the white race. In
this connection it should be said, first, that the Philip-
pines have one of the most healthful tropical climates in
the world, and second, that the results of sanitary work
both there and within the limits of the Panama Canal
zone have largely eliminated the tropical climate bugaboo.
There is plenty of malaria in some portions of the archi-
pelago, but that is a matter of mosquitoes, not of climate,
and there is no difficulty in freeing any given region from
this disease if drainage is practicable.
The two great drawbacks to life in the tropics are ad-
mittedly heat and humidity. Curiously enough the heat
792
THE PICTURESQUE PHILIPPINES 793
in most parts of the Philippines is never extreme. We
do not have in Manila anything approaching the high
temperatures sometimes experienced in New York or
Boston. Humidity in the atmosphere makes heat trying,
and is responsible for what we call "sultry" days. The
dry-bulb thermometer shows how hot one is, but it takes
an instrument with a wet bulb to show how hot one feels.
Fortunately, the periods of greatest heat and greatest
humidity do not coincide in the islands. April and May
are the hottest months, while August and September
have the highest humidity.
It must be remembered, however, that very extreme
heat for a few days, followed by cool weather, is not so
debilitating as is a lower temperature which is neverthe-
less continuously high. There are often many days in suc-
cession during May when the thermometer stands in the
nineties, but there is usually a cool northeasterly breeze
at that season, and throughout the Philippines, except
in the Cagayan valley and in one or two other inland
regions of the larger islands, hot nights are almost un-
known. Indeed, it is doubtless due to the fact that the
land area is broken into myriad islands, and is there-
fore swept by the cooling sea breezes, that it has
such an exceptionally healthful climate. The heat is
never trying when the monsoons blow, and they blow
much of the time.
Speaking of the islands in general one may say that
they have a wet season from July to October and a dry
season from December to May, the weather during June
and November being variable. On the Pacific coast,
however, these seasons are reversed, and in the southern
Phihppines they are not well defined, the rainfall being
quite uniformly distributed throughout the year. During
the months of November, December, Januarj^ and Febru-
ary weather conditions are usually ideal, with bright,
clear days and cool and decidedly invigorating nights.
Comfort throughout the year is largely dependent on oc-
794
THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
cupying well-ventilated houses from which the winds are
not shut off.
The following table shows for each month the highest
temperature, the lowest temperature and the average
temperature recorded at Manila from 1885 until 1912 : —
Month
Highest ° F.
Lowest " F.
Average "F.
93.0
59.0
76.8
96.1
60.3
77.5
97.2
61.2
79.9
99.9
64.4
82.8
100.9
08.7
83.3
99.7
70.9
82.2
95.4
70.0
80.8
95.4
69.1
80.8
95.5
69.6
80.4
95.2
67.3
80.2
93.0
62.2
78.6
92.3
60.3
77.4
January .
February
March .
April . .
May . .
June . .
July . .
AuglLSt .
September
October .
November
December
The highest temperature ever recorded at Manila is
103.5° Fahrenheit, in May, 1878 ; the next highest, 101.9°
in May, 1912.
It should be remembered that there are no abrupt
changes either between day and night or from season to
season, and that one can therefore wear light, cool cloth-
ing throughout the year.
Far from being oppressive, the tropical nights are, as
a rule, dehghtful. I know of nothing more satisfying
in its way than a stroll in the moonlight on a hard beach
of snow-white coral sand bordered by graceful cocoanut
palms on the one hand and by rolling surf on the other.
The vegetation in the provinces is a constant delight.
Unfortunately, in the immediate vicinity of Manila it is
less attractive than in most other parts of the archipelago,
but by crossing the bay to the Lanao forest on the slopes
of Mariveles Mountain, or by taking an automobile ride
to Atimonan, one may see it in all its magnificence. No
THE PICTURESQUE PHILIPPINES 795
word painter, however skilled, can convey any adequate
idea of it.
Everywhere, both on land and at sea, one sees matchless
greens and blues, — greens in the vegetation and in the
water, blues in the water and in the sky. The cloud
effects are often marvellously fine. I had begun to think
that perhaps my prolonged residence in the PhiHppines
had made me forget what was to be seen in other countries,
but in 1913 I took the distinguished English vulcanologist,
Dr. Tempest Anderson, on a trip with me, and his enthu-
siasm over the cloud views knew no bounds.
Phihppine simsets are unsurpassed and unsurpassable.
I have repeatedly noted one remarkable effect which I
have never seen elsewhere, namely the complete reflection
in the east of the western evening sky. On the occasion
when I first witnessed one of these extraordinary sights
I could hardly beUeve my senses. I was at sea, and had
taken a late afternoon siesta. When I awoke familiar
landmarks showed me that I was looking due east, and yet
I saw a magnificent sunset with v/onderful beams of rays
radiating from a dark cloud behind which it seemed that
the sun must be hidden. A glance to the westward
furnished the explanation of the mj^stery, for the view
was duplicated there. I have seen similar wonderful
sights several times.
A typhoon, or tropical cyclone, is often dreadfully de-
structive but is a most imposing thing to watch from a
safe viewpoint, and the weather service in the Philippines
is so excellent that if one observes such a storm from an
unsafe viewpoint it is usually one's own fault. The rush
of the mighty waves at sea and their thunder on the shore,
where they may dash up the cHffs for hundreds of feet, are
awe inspiring. The resistless sweep of the wind, which
sometimes attains a velocity of a hundred twenty miles
an hour, or even more, makes one feel one's insignifi-
cance. If one chances to be in the region over which the
centre of the storm passes, there comes a sudden lull in the
796 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
terrific gale, followed by a dead calm. Often the sun shines
for a brief interval, and then, without warning, the wind
renews its relentless assault, coming from a direction dia-
metrically opposed to that from which it was blowing
before the lull. The rainfall is often enormous. At such
times rivulets are converted into roaring rivers, valleys
into lakes.
If one is near buildings with galvanized roofs which
may fly through the air in pieces, or trees which may blow
down, it is best to keep under cover, but after the storm
there are always to be seen curious and interesting freaks of
wind and water. When the northern district of Manila is
flooded, as not infrequently happens during severe ty-
phoons, the people turn out for a regular water fiesta as
soon as the wind moderates, and go paddling about the
streets in dugout canoes, wooden tubs, or on rafts ex-
temporized from old barrels, pieces of bamboo, or the
stems of bananas which have been blown down.
Due warning of the approach of a typhoon is given by
the Weather Bureau at least twenty-four hours in advance,
so that the damage done may be reduced to a minimum.
Houses of light materials are apt to suffer severely, but
serious damage to strongly built houses is comparatively
rare, as they are constructed with a view to meeting just
such conditions.
Waterspouts are among the most imposing and pictu-
resque of nature's phenomena in the Philippines. I have
repeatedly had the good fortune to watch them form, and
start on their stately march across the sea, but to my
everlasting regret have never had a camera available on
such occasions. They sometimes produce a rain of fishes.
The scenery is never monotonous. At sea one views a
constantly changing panorama of islands, many of which
are picturesque in the extreme. On land one may travel
over long stretches of level, fertile plains, but there are
always fine mountains in the background, and once among
them what pleasures await one ! Some are grass-covered
THE PICTURESQUE PHILIPPINES 797
to their very peaks ; others are buried from base to sum-
mit in the rankest tropical growth. On yet others, pine
forests begin to cover the slopes at four thousand feet,
and are in turn replaced by oak forests at five or six
thousand feet. The numerous rushing streams and water-
falls are a joy in themselves. In one short day one may
go from the tropics to the temperate zone, and come back
again.
Active and extinct volcanoes form a striking feature of
many Philippine landscapes. Of the former, Mayon, in
the province of Albay, is the delight of the vulcanologist
and of the layman ahke on account of its exquisite form,
which is that of the theoretically perfect volcano. It
rises to a height of seventy-nine hundred sixteen feet
from an almost level plain, and the extreme outer pe-
riphery of its base measures approximately a hundred
twenty miles. An excellent automobile road extends
completely around it, well within the peripheral line above
mentioned, and the trip, which has no equal in its way,
may readily be made in haK a day.
Mayon is a storehouse of titanic energy which has
frequently broken forth in the past with destructive vio-
lence. During the last eruption, which occurred in 1900,
lava flowed into the sea at a distance of some fourteen
kilometres ' from the crater. During previous eruptions
whole towns have been destroyed by lava flows or by falling
volcanic ejecta. Mayon is quiet at present and has been
repeatedly climbed of late. The trip is dangerous be-
cause of the steepness of the slopes and the unstable na-
ture of the material composing them. It takes two days.
Taal Volcano, situated on an island in Bombon Lake,
and distant but thirty-nine miles from Manila, is of special
interest on account of its destructive eruption on January
30, 1911, which killed some fourteen hundred people
within the space of a few moments. It is very easily
climbed, the elevation of the lowest point of the crater rim
' 8J miles.
798 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
above the lake being only 369 feet, and the ascent
gentle.
Other important active volcanoes are Apo, in Min-
danao ; Catarman, on the island of Camiguin ; Canlaon,
sometimes also called Malaspina, on Negros ; Caua, in
northeastern Luzon ; and Claro Babuyan, on the island
of the same name. A considerable number of the volcanic
peaks of the Pliihppines, including the one last named,
have never been ascended.
It goes without saying that in a country where there
are so many active, dormant and extinct volcanoes hot
and mineral springs are of common occurrence. On the
slopes of Canlaon there are three of the former, known
respectively as "the chicken killer," "the hog killer"
and "the carabao Idller," on account of the supposed de-
structive powers of their waters. The Tivi Spring, near
the base of Mayon Volcano, is famous. The water of
Sibul Spring, in Bulacan Province, has medicinal proper-
ties of undoubted value, as do the waters of various other
mineral springs, including those at Itogon and Daklan
in Benguet. The scenic surroundings of some of them are
most attractive, and doubtless important watering places
will be estabUshed in their vicinity in the course of time.
Gigantic limestone cliffs are among the most striking
features of many of the more mountainous regions, and in
some parts of the islands, especially along the coast of
Palawan, rise directly out of the sea. They take on won-
derfully beautiful, and sometimes very weird, forms and
are often full of caves in which may be found the famous
edible birds' nests, so highly prized by the Chinese.
A range of Umestone mountains ends at St. Paul's
Bay on the west coast of Palawan. The bay takes its
name from a majestic peak, vnth a wonderful limestone
dome, which looks like a cathedral. Near it is another
remarkable mountain called Liberty Cap, on account of
its peculiar form. Beneath this range lies the scenic
wonder of the Philippines, the famous Underground River,
THE PICTURESQUE PHILIPPINES 799
up which a ship's launch can run for more than three
miles to what is called the "stone pile," caused by the
falUng of a great section of the roof. One may climlD this
obstruction, and utihzing native boats dragged over it
by my party in August, 1912, may continue for a distance
of half a mile, to a point where the roof of the cave drops
to the level of the surface of the water, and further prog-
ress becomes impossible.
A trip up this river is an experience never to be for-
gotten. There is no danger of getting lost, as the three
short side passages which i-un off from the main cavern all
end bUndly. The channel has been mapped by the Coast
and Geodetic Survey and is plainly marked at all critical
points.
One's launch should be provided ■nith very powerful
acetylene lights so arranged as to give a general illumi-
nation. Stalactites and stalagmites occur in every con-
ceivable form. There are vaulted chambers which are
full of them, and there are long straight passages which
lack them and have roofs and walls resembling those of a
New York subwaJ^ In places the cavern is full of edible-
nest-building sWts and of bats. The air in the main
passage is fresh. During the rainj'- season water runs
from the roof in many places, and one must expect an oc-
casional shower bath, but this is the only cUscomfort
attendant upon the trip.
Unfortunately, the mouth of this river is quite fully
exposed to the heavy seas stirred up by the southwest
monsoon, which heap up sand, forming a bar on which
the surf breaks heavily ; but during the northeast mon-
soon the ciuTent often opens up a wide and deep channel
through this bar.
There are several other underground rivers in the Phil-
ippines. An adventm-ous soldier embarked in a banca
on one in Samar, and passed completely under a large
mountain. Judging from his description of his experiences,
this trip would be remarkably well worth taking.
800 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
In the limestone caves we may some day find remains
which will throw light on the history of the early in-
habitants of the Philippines, as many of them have been
used for bm'ial purposes in bygone times.
Pleasurable river navigation is by no means confined
to underground streams. In Mindanao there are two
rivers which offer strong attractions to tourists. One
may ascend the Rio Grande de Cotabato through fertile
plains, to a remarkable series of lakes swarming with great
tame crocodiles and with a wonderful variety of water-
fowl. On this trip one will see the IMoros at home.
The Agusan River, which rises near Davao Gulf and
empties on the north coast of Mindanao, is the largest
navigable stream in the islands. During ordinary-
weather it is strictly confined between well-marked banks.
The dense forests which cover them have been cleared
in a few places to make room for IVIanobo villages. Ex-
quisite orchids and beautiful ferns abound. After as-
cending the river for one hundred twenty miles one comes
to a remarkable submerged forest in a region which sub-
sided a few years ago during a great seismic disturbance.
Formerly it was very unsafe to enter it without taking
an experienced guide, as the original river bed was com-
pletely destroyed and the many small streams flowing
through the sunken area formed a very compUcated
maze. Now, however, two clearly defined canals have
been opened up, both terminating in the immediate
vicinity of the town of Veruela, and a trip through either
of them will not soon be forgotten, for here tropical veg-
etation is seen at its very best.
During a portion of the year one may ascend the Rio
Grande de Cagayan, the great river of northern Luzon,
in a good-sized stern-wheel steamer for a distance of one
hundred twenty miles, passing through a sparsely settled
but potentially very rich agricultural district which now
produces the best tobacco grown in the islands.
It is a common thing for temporary residents in the
THE PICTURESQUE PHILIPPINES 801
PhiUppines to quote the foolish saying that the flowers
are without odour and the birds without song. There is
no more delicious fragrance than that given off in the
evening by the shmb known as dama de noche} The per-
fume made from ilang-ilang flowers goes all over the world.
That extracted from the blossoms of the champaca brings
fabulous prices. Jasmine is produced in abundance. If
one wishes a hea%aer odour, tuberoses furnish it, while
many species of trees make the whole forest fragrant
when in flower. . , -i ,.u
Some of the bu-ds are sweet singers, while others
brighten the landscape with their vivid colours. A row
of snowy egrets, perched on the back of a carabao, pre-
sents a striking picture. One constantly hears by day
the plaint of the limocon, a wood pigeon which exercises
a most extraordinary influence over the Uves of mariy of
the wild people, for they believe that the direction and the
nature of its notes augur good or ill for the enterprises
which they have in hand. The crescendo shriek of a
great black cuckoo, called by the natives hahow, com-
monly heard at night, is likely to cause alarm to one not
cognizant of its origin, and has led many a sentry on a
wild goose chase into a mangrove swamp m the belief
that he was hastening to the rescue of some human being
undergoing dreadful torment. , , . ^
One of the most interesting of the feathered demzens of
Philippine fields and forests is the inconspicuous tailor bird,
which carefully unmnds the silk from cocoons, and using
it for thread, stitches together the edges of h\ang leaves
and then builds its nest in the green pocket thus formed.
The insects are as varied and interesting as are the birds.
There are very numerous species of ants, and the mani-
festations of their extraordinary inteUigence are well
worth careful observation. The work of the huge flocks
of locusts which sometimes devastate the fields is worth
seeing, although the sight is not a cheering one. There
1 Lady of the night.
802 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
are butterflies and moths of great size and of the most
brilliant and varied hues. Some of the very gaudily-
coloured species disappear as if by magic when they alight,
because the under surfaces of their wings, exposed when
they close them, perfectly resemble dead leaves. Other
protectively coloured insects look marvellously hke green
leaves or dead twigs.
After all is said and done, the most interesting study
of mankind is man, and man in most varied form is to be
found in the Philippines, beginning with Manila itself,
where the mixture of Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, English,
German and American blood with that of the original
Malay invaders has produced a wonderfully varied series
of types.
Many of the women are bravely decked out in the gay-
est of colours, which harmonize well with their raven black
hair and brown or yellow skins.
Manila is a very interesting city. North of the Pasig
River are several native residence districts which have
changed comparatively little in a century. Old Manila,
lying just south of the river, is one of the best remaining
examples of a walled town, and it has many buildings
which have withstood tjrphoons and earthquakes for cen-
turies. Its churches are of especial interest. The acous-
tic properties of the cathedral are excellent, and if an
opportunity to hear fine music there presents itself it
should not be missed.
At the University of Santo Tomds and at the Jesuit
convento there are good museums. The insular govern-
ment has a museum on Calle Anloague, where may be seen
very interesting ethnological collections and an important
and striking exhibit of the products of the Philippine
forests.
In the botanical and zoological collections of the Bureau
of Science specialists will find a wealth of material.
The Philippine General Hospital richly repays a visit.
It is the largest and most complete institution of its kind
THE PICTURESQUE PHILIPPINES 803
in the Far East, and within its walls American and Fili-
pino physicians, surgeons and nurses work side by side for
the rehef of suffering humanity.
I have only hinted at a few of the interesting sights
which may be seen without leaving the city limits. The
open country and the provincial towns are made readily
accessible by splendid automobile roads. To the north
one finds great mango trees with their solid hemispheres
of beautiful foliage, and endless rice-fields in the culti-
vation of which the people still employ the methods of
bygone centuries. The good sanitary condition in many
of the towns shows that American and Filipino health
officers have not been idle.
To the south the automobile road runs straight away to
Atimonan on the Pacific coast, distant one hundred twelve
miles. It passes near Bandjao, one of the most beautiful
extinct volcanoes of the Philippines ; is bordered for
long distances by cocoanut gi'oves, and extends for many
miles through a most beautiful forest.
No visit to the Philippines is complete without a trip
to Baguio, the sunnner capital. It is reached by train and
automobile in less than a day. Here one is just at the
edge of the wild man's country and may go to villages of
the Benguet Igorots in an automobile.
Starting at Baguio, one may take one of the most won-
derful horseback journeys in the world over the "Moun-
tain Trail" to Cervantes in the neighbouring sub-province
of Lepanto and thence to Bontoc, the capital of the
Mountain Province. Here dwell the Bontoc Igorots, who
were famous head-hunters until brought under American
control. Four or five days more will suffice to make a trip
north to Lubuagan, the capital of the sub-province of Ka-
linga, inhabited by another most picturesque tribe of
head-hunters. They are physically a wonderfully devel-
oped people, and their personal cleanliness, brightly
coloured clothes, and striking feather ornaments make
them especially attractive.
804 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
On the way one is sure to see women clad in skirts
extemporized from banana leaves, camote tops, or ferns, of
a type popularly but wrongly supposed not to have been
in style since the days of mother Eve.
From Bontoc one rides to the eastward over the Mount
Polls range and descends along the wonderful terraced
mountain sides of the Ifugaos, finding everywhere abun-
dant evidences of the extraordinary industry displayed
by the people of this head-hunting tribe. At Quiangan
the traveller will be amazed to see beautiful buildings of
cut stone, and when informed that they have been erected
by Ifugao schoolboys under an American foreman will
doubt the possibility of such a thing unless he is fortunate
enough to see the boys at work.
From this point one may return to Baguio by way of
Sapao, and the Agno River valley, or may continue his
journey to the eastward, coming out on the fertile plains
of Nueva Vizcaya. Before the return to the lowlands of
Fangasindn from this province one may make a short side
trip of half a day into the country of the Ilongots, but I
do not recommend such an expedition to persons not fa-
miliar with the ways of savages who are sometimes inclined
to be a bit treacherous. The Ilongots have harmed only
one white man, but they still occasionally murder each
other, and it is hard always to know what they will do next.
There are comfortable rest houses at frequent inter-
vals along the excellent horse trails over which one
rides in making this trip, so that all one really requires
is a good horse and saddle and necessary clothing. Bag-
gage is transported by Igorot carriers or pack ponies.
It is always well to take one's own blankets. Good thick
ones will be needed, for the Mountain Trail reaches an
elevation of seventy-five hundred feet, and at this height
the nights are cold.
Until within a short time it has been impossible for
tourists to travel with comfort in the Philippines. There
was no good hotel even at Manila. This latter difficulty
THE PICTURESQUE PHILIPPINES 805
has now fortunately been remedied. The old carriage
and cart roads were impassable during much of the year.
Their place has been taken, in many provinces, by heavily
surfaced automobile roads serviceable at all times.
Accommodations on the inter-island boats were atro-
cious. They are still far from first-class, but are rapidly
improving, and on a number of the steamers are now very
fair. There is good prospect that a number of new and
up-to-date steamers will be put on inter-island routes in
the near future.
Meanwhile it can safely be said that the world does not
afford more attractive ground for yachting than that to
be found in the Philippines. The scenery among the
Calairdanes Islands and in Bacuit Bay and Malampaya
Sound is beautiful beyond description. That of the
famous Inland Sea of Japan does not compare with it.
Safe, quiet anchorages are to be found at frequent inter-
vals, and the weather during the winter months usually
leaves nothing to be desired.
VOL. II — X
CHAPTER XXIX
Rod, Shotgun and Rifle
The Philippines offer strong attractions to the devotees
of the shotgun and the rifle, and they are a fisherman's
paradise.
Having in my earlier days spent some four years in
collecting natural history specimens in the islands I did
not need to be enlightened as to the pleasure which
might be had in hunting ducks, snipe, shore birds, jungle
fowl, and wild pigeons ; nor as to those afforded to the
hunter of large game by bringing down wild carabaos,
hogs, and deer, bagging an occasional man-eating crocodile,
or trying to outwit the wily tamarau of Mindoro, which
is one of the most difficult of all forest-inhabiting rumi-
nants to track down and kill, and has an uncomfortable
habit of hunting the hunter when molested ; but now, in
view of my neglected early opportunities, I must confess
with shame and confusion of face that it remained for
Governor-General Forbes to show me, after I had re-
sided in the islands for sixteen years that I had been
missing a sport fit for kings by not sooner taking up
fishing in the sea.
To one who has been even temporarily attached to a
hundred-pound barracuda through the medium of a spUt
bamboo rod, a tarpon reel, three hundred yards of line,
and a good strong spoon hook, or has fought a sixty-
pound tanguingui, or even a thirty-pound pampano, to
a finish, it seems strange that any one should ever have
characterized fishing as a "gentle art."
If good old Sir Izaak Walton had struggled with a big
tuna until his fingers and thumbs were blistered or
806
ROD, SHOTGUN AND RIFLE 807
skinned, and every muscle in his body was tired and sore,
only to see a huge shark bite his finny prey off back of
the gills when it was almost ready to gaff, it is possible
that his language in discussing fishing would have been
less mild, and his general attitude toward the subject
less gently philosophic.
Verily, Sir Izaak missed much by not having been born
after modern fishing tackle had been invented and em-
ployed in taking the denizens of deep tropical seas. Let
no one be unduly dismayed over the diminution of big
game fish in the vicinity of Catalina Island, or ofT the
Florida coast, for among the myriad islands of the Phihp-
pine Archipelago one may fish to one's heart's content,
visiting grounds already well known, or seeking new ones
for himself, in the assurance that the supply of marine
game fishes will not be perceptibly diminished for many
a long year to come.
Soon after his arrival, Governor-General Forbes began
to inquire about the opportunities for sea fishing. He
received little reliable information and less encourage-
ment, but undeterred, proceeded to find out for himself
when and where to fish and what tackle to use in order
to obtain the best results. At the outset his efforts netted
him few fish or none, but he kept at it as opportunity
offered, and, thanks to his perseverance, the sport is now
firmly established on a sound basis.
One must have rod, reel, line and gaff suitable for tar-
pon fishing, and an abundant supply of good spoon hooks,
wire leaders and swivels. Live bait and cut bait are as
useful here as elsewhere, but game fish are so abundant,
and spoon hooks have proved so successful in taking
them, that comparatively little use has as yet been made
of other lures. One should fish from a power boat which
can be slowed down to four miles an hour without stopping,
and will safely ride a moderately heavy sea.
When thus equipped, if the fisherman hies him to the
edge of a coral reef where the bottom slopes steeply down-
808 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
ward, runs the boat so that he sees green water on one
side and black water on the other, and pays out fifty to
a hundred yards of line, he will not have long to wait be-
fore his reel sings the merry tune so dear to the heart of
his kind, and he finds himself vainly striving, with both
thumbs on the brake, to lower the pitch of that insistent
high note by slowing down the speed of the barracuda
which has grabbed the spoon, hooked itself securely, and
started for the coast of China with the obvious intention
of getting there before dark.
A big barracuda may take fifty yards of line in his first
rush and he may take two hundred , but one can be certain that
when he is finally stopped he will jump clear of the water,
and then will jump again just to show that he means it.
After that, as he is reeled in, he will jump some more to
keep up the interest. Ultimately, having acquired the habit
of coming toward the boat, he will continue to practise
it until he sees that craft, whereupon he is likely to start
off at a rate which makes his first rush seem slow and
deliberate. Now and then he will run down on the line
for variety's sake, and then is the time for the boatmen
to get into action, for if he gets slack line nothing remains
but to bid him good-by as cheerfully as possible.
The largest specimen yet taken in the Philippines and
actually weighed was a hundred ten pound monster
caught on a trolling line trailed behind the coast guard
cutter Polillo, on which I was making an inspection trip
along the west coast of southern Palawan.
The largest specimen yet taken with rod and reel
weighed fifty-two and eight-tenths pounds. It was
brought to gaff in Biobican Bay by Governor Leo J. Grove
of Nueva Vizcaya.
Very numerous individuals weighing between twenty
and forty-five pounds have been captured, and the only
reason why numbers of much larger specimens have not
been taken is that tackle was not strong enough, or the
skill of the fishermen was not sufficiently great. Big
EOD, SHOTGUN AND RIFLE 809
barracudas have teeth that would do credit to small sharks,
and have sawed through or broken many a wh-e leader.
In the Philippines, as in other civiUzed countries,
there are not lacking narrators of good "fish stories."
From Fihpino residents of San Juan, Siquijor, I recently
heard a tale of a barracuda which towed a native dugout
boat all day, jumping frequently, and was finally cut
loose after dark by its disgusted would-be captors who
found themselves unable to tire it out !
Of tanguingui, or sail fish, there are at least two
species. The smaller commonly attains a weight of twenty
to forty pounds. In the open sea off the coast of Leyte I
took a specimen which measured sixty-four inches in length
and weighed sixty-five pounds. It proved to be of a
species new to science. This magnificent fish, when fresh
from the sea, was a sight calculated to cheer a graven
image.
Tanguingui fight much as do barracuda, except that
they seldom jump out of the water after being hooked
unless pursued by sharks. This seems strange, as under
normal conditions they leap for the pure joy of the thing,
attaining heights which I hesitate to specify lest I be held
to have qualified for the Ananias club. I know of nothing
more startling in its way than the shock one gets when
his eye has missed the upward leap of a big tanguingui
but catches the fish as it is dropping back toward the sea,
apparently from the clouds.
While barracuda and tanguingui may be taken through-
out the year, there seems to be a time when the fish of the
latter species "run." At all events they are found in
great numbers during April and May in the vicinity of
Fortune Island, a short distance south of Manila Baj',
but are very scarce, or entirely absent, there during the
remainder of the year. I once visited the famous fishing
grounds around Tanguingui Island, north of Cebii, in
August, only to be assured by a hght-keeper that I would
find no fish at that season. He said that the barracuda
810 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
would return in November and the tanguingui in February.
His prediction as to tlie fishing in August promptly came
true.
Pampano rank high among the game fish of the Philip-
pines. What will California coast fishermen, accustomed
to taking little fellows weighing a pound or two, say to
fifty-pound individuals ? I can imagine what they would
say if not confronted by hard facts, but the truth is that
a number of such pampanos have already been taken with
rod and reel in the Philippines, and that there are plenty
more waiting to be caught. During a trip to Palawan
in December, 1911, Captain Tornroth of the coast guard
cutter Polillo took a forty-nine-pound specimen. The
same evening Dr. Victor G. Heiser, Director of Health,
took an individual weighing thii'ty-two pounds. The
following August the record was raised first to fifty-three
pounds and then to sixty-three and a half pounds, the
latter fish being caught by Mr. Frank W. Sweitzer.
The pampano takes the hook with a rush and seldom
misses his strike. He never leaps while being played,
but helps himself to line very liberally at the outset and
runs deep at once. A large specimen is never satisfied
until almost directly under the boat with several hundred
feet of line out, and will get bottom, snag the line on a sharp
point of rock or a branch of coral, and break away, if
such a thing is materially possible. A pampano never
quits fighting until he is in the boat, and is an adept at
turning up his broad side after being hooked and swim-
ming in a circle, resisting to the utmost all efforts to raise
him. Under reasonably favourable circumstances it
usually takes from twenty minutes to half an hour to
land a twenty-five-pound individual. Pampano run in
schools and when they once begin to bite the fun is fast
and furious.
The sergeant fish is one of the gamest fighters for his
weight to be met with in Philippine waters. He keeps
up his determined rushes until brought to the side of the
ROD, SHOTGUN AND RIFLE 811
boat and leaps frequently while being played, at the same
time making vigorous efforts to shake the hook. None
of the specimens so far taken have exceeded twenty
pounds in weight.
Ocean bonito are often met with in great schools and
present a wonderful sight when one drives one's boat
among them and sees them leaping high into the air,
close at hand, on every side. The largest specimen yet
caught with rod and reel is a sixty-pounder taken by
Governor Forbes. I have seen numerous individuals
which must certainly have weighed a hundred pounds
or more.
Red snappers weighing five to twenty pounds also occur
in great schools. They are usually caught with bait by
sinking in deep water, but at times take the spoon freely.
The larger individuals make a game fight. Annually
during November and December these fish run in very
large numbers from Naujan Lake in Mindoro to the sea.
Wliether or not they can be captured with rod and line
while in fresh water remains to be determined.
The lapu-lapu, or "groupers," of which there are twenty-
four known species in the Phihppines, do not attain very
great size, but are much prized on account of the delicious
flavour of their especially tender flesh. Dr. Heiser has
taken one weighing twenty-two pounds and I have seen the
dried flesh of one which must have weighed approximately
forty pounds. The colouring of a number of the species
is extraordinarily beautiful. Some are light gray with
. round blue spots ; others carmine red with blue spots over
the body and blue lines and bars about the head ; others
are dark blue with carmine spots. There seems no end
to the variety and beauty of the colour patterns, and each
new one appears for the moment more wonderful than
those which one has seen before.
Lapu-lapu have a special fondness for crevices in the
rocks, and for holes in coral reefs, and in consequence are
responsible for the loss of much good tackle. One must
812 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
fight them from the moment they strike and give them no
slack. The penalty for any carelessness in this regard
is a broken line.
Leather jacks, commonly called dorados in the PhiUp-
pines on account of their beautifully coloured yellow
bellies, are extraordinarily abundant at certain seasons
of the year when they run into the shallow waters at the
heads of bays and sounds, apparently to spawn. When
encountered at all they afford good sport for their size,
fighting well and frequently making splendid leaps out
of the water even after they are brought close to the boat
and are apparently tired out. They commonly run from
five to fifteen pounds in weight, but occasionally reach
eighteen or twenty pounds.
The Phifippine giant sea-bass, or jewfish, belongs to
the same family as does the California species. While
I was on shore at Mseander Reef in August, 1911, mmier-
ous hand lines with which sailors were fishing from the
Polillo were carried away by jewfish. With the permis-
sion of the captain, the ship's log fine was then pressed
into service. I returned to the steamer just in time to
assist in landing a hundred-and-thirty pound specimen. A
steam trawler, which operated for a short time in the
Philippines, took a specimen seven feet three inches in
length, which weighed three hundred thirty-four and a
fourth pounds.
In Coron Passage during July, 1911, I fought a very
large fish, probably a jewfish, for an hour and twenty
minutes, at the end of which time his dead weight broke
my fine when Governor Forbes, who was with me, at-
tempted to lift him by it after he had indulged in a pro-
longed sulk in deep water. Although I had fought him
steadily, I could not see that I had tired him in the least.
In the course of the fracas the butt of my rod had made a
two by three inch black and blue spot on my right leg and
had worn the skin off over a similar area on my left leg,
while my abdomen lacked a good deal of epidermis and I
Typical Scene at the Edge of a Hardwood Forest.
ROD, SHOTGUN AND RIFLE 813
was tempted to believe that it lacked some dermis as well.
My companions who witnessed the fruitless fight christened
this particular fish the "sea carabao." ^
Belt and socket should, of course, be used in fighting
fish of such size. Heavy cots for the thumb and first
finger of the left hand and the thumb of the right hand
are very essential. I once got a badly burned thumb
because I thought that I was not likely to hook a fish
which would make a quarter-inch-thick leather brake heat
through. A big ocean bonito promptly undeceived me.
Very exciting sport may be had by harpooning the huge
rays which come to the surface in great numbers at cer-
tain seasons of the year. Specimens thirty feet across
have been taken in the vicinity of the island of Siquijor.
When one of these great fishes is harpooned, Filipino
fishermen make two or three large boats fast to it as soon
as possible for the reason that a single boat might be
dragged under. Even so the taking of giant rays is not
unattended with danger, for thej' make most extraor-
dinary leaps into the air, and were one of them to fall
on a boat the result would be disastrous.
We have knowledge of the existence of other very large
game fishes which we have not as yet so much as seen.
One species is taken by the natives of Siquijor, who use
a three-quarter inch Manila rope and fish in water of
considerable depth. A number of boats work close to-
gether and as soon as a fish is hooked all flock to the as-
sistance of the lucky fisherman. A tremendous struggle
then ensues and we are assured that if the fish is landed,
it makes a meal for a whole village. TVTiat this species
may be we do not know.
One of the charms of fishing in the Philippines lies in
the fact that one can never tell what one is going to strike
next. At Maeander Reef I took the first yellowtail ever
caught in the islands with rod and line. Doubtless there
are plenty more where that one came from. Indeed,
' Carabao is the Filipino name for water buffalo.
814 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
yellowtails are common in the market at Zamboanga
at certain seasons. Off the coast of Mindoro I took the
first dolphin known to have been captured in these waters
On a recent trip I took a large porgy of a species new to
the Phihppmes and likely to prove new to science. As
yet we have hardly begun to explore the fishing grounds.
Wliat shall we find among the swift currents of the Batanes
Islands, and what along the barrier reef of the unexplored
east coast of northern Luzon ? No one knows !
Although some 1400 species of fish have already been
reported from the Philippines, new ones are constantly
being added to the list, and it is rather a rare event when
a returning party of fishermen fails to present the ichthy-
ologist with one or more puzzles. On my first trip to
Apo Reef, Dr. Heiser hooked a tremendous fish which
leisurely went its way regardless of his efforts to control
its movement. At one time it deigned to come under the
bottom of the launch and within forty feet of the surface,
where it could be seen with perfect distinctness. It was a
long, slender, gamy-looking creature weighing perhaps one
hundred fifty pounds, and it had vertical yellow bars on its
sides. No such fish is known from these waters. Having
viewed the boat to its satisfaction, it proceeded to go back
to the reef and to take refuge under its overhanging
edge. Vigorous efforts to dislodge it, lasting for half an
hour, resulted only in sawing off a heavy wire leader.
One may tire for the moment of catching fish, but with
a glass-bottomed boat at his disposal he will never tire of
looking at them as he floats over the wonderful coral reefs
for which the archipelago is famous. Certainly there are
no "sea gardens" anywhere which can excel those of the
Phihppines. The powerful tropical sun penetrates the
marvellously clear sea water to a great depth, reveaUng
marine animal and plant life in endlessly varied and
marvellously beautiful forms which beggar description.
Former Secretary of War Dicldnson is a rather serious-
minded man, but when he gazed for the first time through
ROD, SHOTGUN AND RIFLE 815
the glass bottom of a boat into one of these wonder houses
of nature, he shouted in his excitement and dehght for all
the world like a small and enthusiastic boy.
In a few moments one may see fish of the most amazing
forms and extraordinarily bizarre colours : huge sharks ;
enormous rays ; great sea-turtles ; clam shells big enough
f(jr cliildren's bath-tubs ; sea-urchins ; starfish ; sea-
anemones ; jellyfish in endless variety of form and colour ;
sea-fans ; and many other varied forms of marine animal
and plant life.
When one grows weary of the water, one may land on
snowy coral-sand beaches, bordered by cocoanut palms,
may visit old deserted Spanish forts rapidly being invaded
by rank tropical vegetation ; may gather exquisite
orchids ; or may for the time being substitute hunting
for fishing. In the Sulu Sea he may visit wonderful bird
islands where the feathered folk refuse to get out of his
way and peck viciously at his legs if he comes too near.
All these dehghtful experiences may be had without
suffering any discomfort from the Philippine climate,
concerning which such absurd ideas prevail among the
uninformed. From November to March the temperature
is dehghtful, except during the midday hours of bright
days, when fish do not bite well in any event, and when
sensible people keep off the v/ater.
Thus far I have referred only to those game fishes which
I myself have taken, or concerning wliieh I happen to have
personal knowledge. I will now briefly summarize what
is at present known about the game fishes of the Philip-
pines.
The albacore is fairly common, especially during the
cooler months.
Amberjacks, reaching a length of two feet or more, are
also common.
There are barracudas of seven different species, some of
which attain a length of six feet and weigh a hundred
pounds or more.
816 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
Bonitos of four different species have been taken. The
"ocean bonito" and the "true bonito" are both abundant
and afford fine sport. The larger individuals sometimes
attain a weight of a hundred pounds or more.
There are six different species of croakers, also called
roncadores. Some individuals reach a weight of a hundi'ed
pounds.
Groupers, locally Icnown as lapu-lapu, are found in great
variety, no less than twenty-four species having been re-
corded.
Hardtails, reaching a length of three feet, are abundant.
Leather-jacks, commonly called dorados, are also very
abundant. They take the spoon freely and fight well.
In weight they commonly run from five to fifteen pounds.
There are several small species of vmckerel which are
excellent table fish and afford fair sport.
Pampanos are found in great variety, no less than thirty
species having already been recorded. Individuals weigh-
ing as much as fifty pounds are not uncommon.
Porgies of twelve different species have been taken, and
some of the individuals have weighed up to thirty pounds.
Of snappers we have thirty-four known species. The red
snappernotinfrequentlyattainsaweight of twelve to fifteen
poimds, and the larger individuals fight well. At times
they take the spoon freely. The gray snapper runs up
to forty pounds in weight and makes a good fight. The
rioulated snapper, which takes its name from the form of
its beautiful colour pattern, is a good game fish, and I have
seen specimens which weighed up to twenty pounds.
Sea-bass of two distinct species are common. Speci-
mens weighing fifty to seventy-five pounds are fre-
quently seen in the markets. The largest specimen as yet
recorded from the islands weighed three hundred thirty-
four and a fourth pounds.
Spanish mackerel, or tanguingui, are common through-
out the islands at the proper season. A very intelligent
Filipino collector of natural history specimens in the ser-
ROD, SHOTGUN AND RIFLE 817
vice of the government, who saw my sixty-five-pound
specimen landed, assured me that he had previously
seen larger ones caught.
Swordfish, nine feet or more in length, may be taken
during the cooler months.
Tarpons up to five feet in length may be taken at the
proper season, off the mouths of large streams. The
species is distinct from that found in Atlantic waters,
and the young take the fly freely.
Ten pounders, commonly called bid-bid in the Philip-
pines, are not uncommon, and in spite of their name often
attain a weight of thirty pounds.
Tunas. The great, or leaping, tunas are met with in
large schools during the winter months. The natives
call them "cachareta." So far as I am aware, none have
yet been taken with rod and hne, but their capture is,
of course, only a question of time.
I beheve it certain that the Phihppines will become a
Mecca for deep-sea fishermen, and to the end that pis-
catorial pilgrims may not come in vain, reliable data are
bemg gathered and compiled by the Division of Fisheries
of the Bureau of Science. The exact locations where
exceptionally good catches are made are being marked
on a comprehensive series of charts which cover the entire
archipelago, and an accurate card record is also kept
giving full information as to the localities where, the seasons
when and the weather conditions xmder which exceptional
catches have been made. Fishermen seeking fine sport
and novel experiences will surely not be disappointed if
they come to the Philippines.
Wliile it is possible to find sheltered waters at any season,
and to take fish throughout the year, our experience thus
far seems to justify the behef that the months from Jan-
uary to August are on the whole the most favourable
ones.
Fishermen may establish themselves at some favourable
point, such as one of the many excellent camping grounds
818 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
on Malampaya Sound, and work from this as a base,
with no other water transportation than the motor boats
from which they fish. Those who wish to have a good
movable base of operations and to explore for themselves
may, by making seasonable application, secure the use
of one of the government coast guard boats at a cost of
$115 a day. These convenient little vessels measure one
hundred forty-eight feet over all and draw nine to eleven
feet of water, according to the amount of coal carried
and its distribution. They are safe in all weathers.
Most of them have four good staterooms for passengers,
with berths for eight people ; but as they are provided
with good double a^\Tiings and have abundant deck
room, a much larger nmnber of persons can be made
comfortable, if willing to sleep on deck, using the state-
rooms for dressing-rooms. As a matter of fact, people
who have been long in the islands seldom think
of sleeping inside. The coast guard boats readily carry
four motor boats on their davits, and two more might
be placed on deck forward. The Negros is espe-
cially fitted out, and has stateroom accommodations
for twenty people. All of these vessels have electric
light, refrigerating plants and distilling plants.
I know of nothing more delightful than to explore the
shores and bays of this wonderful archipelago in such a
vessel, fishing and landing when and where one pleases.
With the certainty of fine weather during the winter
months the nights under the deck awnings are a delight,
and nothing will more promptly restore jangling nerves
to a normal state, straighten out impaired digestion and
bring back vigorous health, than will such a salt water
fishing trip in the Philippines.
Ducks and snipe are the stand-bys for the hunters who
love the shotgun. A few years ago magnificent duck
shooting was to be had on the Laguna de Bay, as well as
in the province of Bataan just across the bay from Manila.
Unfortunately the ducks on the Laguna were educated
ROD, SHOTGUN AND RIFLE 819
by some stupid fellows who shot at them vdth. a Colt
automatic gun. The ideas which they then developed as
to danger zones seem to have persisted ever since, and it
is now difficult to get within range of the great flocks which
still continue to frequent this the largest fresh-water lake
in the Philippines.
Ducks have been shot in season and out of season around
the water-holes in Bataan and in the Candaba Swamp,
as well as in the vicinitj^ of the fish pens in Bulacan.
The shooting has fallen off rapidly here, and in Nueva
Ecija and Tarlac, for the same cause. We are powerless
to remedy this condition. Some j-ears ago a law was
passed authorizing the secretary' of the interior to pro\'ide
regulations governing the seasons during which game
might be shot, but through oversight no penalty was
pro\ided for the infraction of these regulations, and the
assembly has persistently refused to amend the law in
this respect.
On Naujan Lake in Mindoro, and elsewhere in the prov-
inces, magnificent duck shooting may still be had. The
whistling tree-duck and the Philippine mallard are the
two species which afford the best sport, although pin-
tails, bluebUls, widgeons, and blue- and green-wing teal
come in on migration as does a tiny goose, smaller than
the ordinary duck. Several other species straj' into the
southern Philippines from the Celebes, while at least
one Formosan species sometimes visits the Batanes
Islands.
Jacksnipe come to the islands in enormous numbers
from Asia, usually arri^•ing about the middle of August
in northern and central Luzon and gradually working
their way south to ^Mindanao. The return migration
commonly comes during February. The fhght of the
Asiatic jacksnipe is exactly hke that of his American
brother. In fact only an omithologi.st can distinguish
between the two species. A bag of one himdred birds
to the gun is by no means imusual at the height of the
820 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
season, and a strong sentiment is developing among
Americans in favour of limiting the bag.
There are very numerous species of pigeons and doves
in the PliiUppines. .\1I of them are excellent table birds
and several of them offer good sport. If one can take up
his position under a fruit tree frequented by the great
gray and green pigeons, knoAvn locally as baluds, about
the middle of the afternoon he will get a wonderful
series of shots at incoming birds flying fifty or more yards
up in the air. They approach very rapidly, so that one
must lead them a long distance, "pulling them out of
sight" in order to bring them down. One may bum
many a cartridge before he learns the knack of stopping
these powerful, swift-flying birds. Duiing certain seasons
the larger pigeons roost, in countless thousands, in trees
on little isolated cays remote from the larger islands,
where wonderful shooting may be had during the morning
and evening flights.
Junglefowl, the ancestors of all our domestic breeds of
poultry, are to be found throughout the islands but only
in a few places do they offer much opportunity for the
sportsman who likes to kill his birds on the wing. Prior
to the last eruption they were very numerous on the slopes
of Taal Volcano.
A party which happened to visit Cavilli, a small isolated
coral island in the Sulu Sea, once found it alive with
junglefowl. No one else has ever seen any there. Ob-
viously a great flock flew in and then flew away again.
Particularly fine sport may be had on Fuga Island by
walking along the edge of the forest in the late after-
noon. The birds which are then feeding in the open fly
straight for cover and present difficult cross shots.
The larger hornbills are very good to eat, but as easy
to hit on the wing as a fair-sized door sailing through the
air would be, so do not offer much sport.
Wild hogs are abundant throughout the archipelago.
Deer are found on nearly all of the islands, but there are
I
f- 3
^ ^
& i
ROD, SHOTGUN AND RIFLE 821
several noteworthy exceptions, such as Palawan and
Cebu. The Fihpinos are very fond of hunting deer.
Sometimes they run them down with dogs and drive them
into nets where they lance them — a most unsportsman-
like proceeding. The wealthier Filipinos like to take
up their stations at good strategic posts, and then have
the country beaten toward them. In this way they
sometimes get fifty or more deer in a single drive. I have
never been able to see anything very exciting about this
method of hunting.
It is very good sport, on occasion, to still-hunt deer.
The best deer shooting I have ever had was at what is
called the Cogonal Grande in the center of the island of
Culion. It is a great circular valley sloping very gradu-
ally toward the center. Its higher portions are over-
grown ^dth cogon grass which gives the valley its name.
Probably it was once the bed of a lake. At all events its
centre is swampy at the present time and has grown up
into a hopeless jungle of pandanus, bamboo grass, etc.,
through which runs a maze of deer paths. Numerous
little canons lead do\^Ti from the neighbouring hills to this
valley and each of them has forest in it.
In the month of December, when the cogon is dry, if
fired it bums toward the centre on all sides until the blaze
reaches the wet swampy portion where the vegetation
is not dry enough to burn. If dogs are then put into the
little stretches of forest which run down the ravines toward
the open valley, they almost invariably drive out deer
which run straight for the tangle at its centre, necessarily
crossing groimd which has been burned bare.
As a result one gets hard cross shots but has the ad-
vantage of seeing every bullet strike, as the soil is very
dry at this season. This makes interesting shooting.
One gets game enough to keep the camp in meat and not
enough so that he feels like a butcher.
Many hunters go out at night with bull's-eye lanterns,
shine the deer and fire at their eyes. This is not so bad
VOL. II Y
822 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
as jacking them from a boat, because a man who hunts
on foot necessarily makes a good deal of noise, and they
are apt to become alarmed and run away, whereas one
can approach in a boat so silently that they do not hear
the noise of the paddles or the rippling of the water.
Hunting at night in this way in the Philippines is very
interesting. One sees all sorts of nocturnal animals
which are never met with by day, and also gets a good
opportunity to pick up owls, nighthawks and other birds
which are not ordinarily taken except by accident.
However, the ordinary hunter is not an ornithologist,
and does not care for such opportunities.
Wild hogs are hunted much as are deer. They drive
readily. On account of the habit of the old boars of
turning and facing dogs when the latter molest them, it is
easy to bring them down.
The common people Idll wild hogs with spears after the
dogs have brought them to bay. This is by no means
a safe undertaking, as some of the old boars attain tre-
mendous size, have very formidable tusks and are capable
of killing a man in short order if able to come to close
quarters with him.
The wild hogs of the Philippines are very cleanly beasts.
They take daily baths whenever possible, and often build
for themselves beds of clean, fresh brush. They are
extremely inteUigent animals, and it is therefore very
difficult to still-hunt them. In view of their huge bulk
and ungainly proportions the absolute silence with which
they move through the forests cannot fail to impress one
who sees them stealing quietly along. After being dis-
turbed they make plenty of noise as they rush away.
One of the best ways to still-hunt them is to secrete
one's self near a water hole which they frequent for bath-
ing purposes, but their sense of smell is very keen, and if
the wind happens to blow in the wrong direction they
will not approach the place where a hunter is lying in
wait.
ROD, SHOTGUN AND RIFLE 823
Wild hogs are fruit eaters for the most part, and their
flesh is delicious. They are enormously abundant on the
island of Taw-i Tawi, where the durian tree abounds.
The More inhabitants will not touch them, and as food
is very plentiful during much of the year the island
swarms with them, and they attain the largest size.
Moros say that during the fruit season they become so
covered with fat that if pursued for any length of time
they fall, overcome by the heat and the running !
When I was in Tawi Tawi in 1901 with Dr. Bourns
and a Filipino helper, one of us took a rifle along each
morning when we went out to collect birds and in a few
moments, after finishing his bird shooting for the day, was
able to kill hogs enough to keep not only our party but
the local Spanish garrison in meat, while the lard which
our servants tried out lasted us for more than a year
thereafter.
There are two animals in the Philippines which can
with propriety be dignified by the name of "big game."
These are the wild carabao, which is still to be found in
various parts of the archipelago, and the tamarau, a true
buffalo of a species which occm's nowhere in the world
except on the island of Mindoro.
The wild carabao is a formidable antagonist, hard to
stop and a vicious fighter after he is once wounded. Under
ordinary circumstances he is very wary and difficult to
approach. It is highly important in hunting him to
use bullets with great stopping power. A number of
men have been killed in the Philippines by wild carabaos
which they had severely wounded. The most recent
case which has come to my knowledge was that of a Mr.
Barbour, in Mindoro. He was an old hand at the game,
and had killed fifty-odd specimens. He shot a bull three
times and it dropped apparently dead. Walldng close
up to it he dropped the butt of his rifle to the ground
between his legs, and held the barrel with his knees while
trying to light a cigarette. Without the slightest warn-
824 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
ing the injured bull sprang to its feet and drove a horn
completely through him, killing him instantly.
There is an interesting and unsettled question as to
whether the wild carabaos of the Philippines are indig-
enous to the islands or are merely the descendants of
imported animals which have made their escape from
captivity. My own opinion is that both beliefs are true
or, in other words, that we have both a native wild race
and other carabaos just as wild and just as fierce which
are the descendants of tame individuals. The ordinary
wild bulls have comparatively short and thick horns,
while the bulls of the species found in Nueva Ecija and
in northern Luzon generally have long, slender, very
sharp, strongly curved horns. I believe that the latter
animals belong to the true native race.
Wild carabaos are found not only at various points in
Luzon, but abundantly in Mindoro and the Calamianes
Islands. They appear in considerable numbers in Mas-
bate, Negros and elsewhere in the archipelago.
To the inexperienced hunters who are inclined to try
to bring them down my advice is "Don't !"
Few indeed are the men who have killed so much as a
single specimen of the tamarau of Mindoro. It is a small
jungle-inhabiting ruminant. Its color, when adult, is
precisely that of the carabao. It is, however, a much
smaller and more active animal. The bulls lose no
opportunity to attack carabaos, both domesticated and
wild, and in spite of their own inferior size kill them with
apparent ease.
The tamarau is extremely muscular and when it charges,
which it is prone to do on very slight provocation, bores
a hole through the jungle vegetation, coming on with the
speed and recklessness of a rhinoceros. Under such con-
ditions it is excessively hard to stop, and when it pushes
its charge home, woe be to the unlucky hunter. With
rare exceptions it attacks when wounded if it so m.uch as
catches sight of a human being. Even when unmolested
ROD, SHOTGUN AND RIFLE 825
it not infrequently charges, without warning, when one
gets unduly near. It feeds at night, and never lolls
around in the water as does the carabao.
At the time I first came to the Philippines to collect
natural history specimens in 1887, this animal was known
only from travellers' tales and from what purported to be
a stuffed individual in the Dominican museum. It was
certainly stuffed, being about as shapely as a kerosene
barrel. Its skin looked so exactly like that of a carabao
that uncharitable persons had suggested that it was an
artifact.
At this time the most absurd tales about the tamarau
were in circulation. I was solemnly assured by one
group of persons, who claimed to have seen it, that it had
only one horn which grew out of the top of its head.
Others were certain that it had two horns and but a single
eye.
We did not anticipate the good fortune of discovering
either a unicorn or a cyclops, but thought that there must
be something behind all of these remarkable stories.
After undergoing many hardships and performing much
hard work, our party succeeded in taking five individuals,
the first ever killed and properly preserved.
The best way to hunt these wary and dangerous ani-
mals is to pick up a fresh trail early in the morning along
some water course where they come to drink during the
night, and follow it as noiselessly as possible. One is
liable to jump the game at any moment. I shall never
forget my astonishment when, on climbing up a steep
river bank and diving into a tunnel through runo grass, I
nearly fell over an old bull. Ordinarily, however, no
such luck awaits one. It is frequently necessary to trail
the quarry five or ten miles before one comes up with
it, and then the usual reward, after crawling through
underbrush and wriggling along on the ground, bitten by
ants and mosquitoes, torn by thorns and covered with
pestiferous land leeches, is to hear a terrific crash in the
826 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
brush and never so much as catch a glimpse of the animal
which makes it. The tamarau sleeps during the day,
almost invariably lying down in the densest of jungle
growth, facing back upon its own trail. Furthermore,
it is uncommonly likely to put a bend in that trail before
lying down, so that while one is still a mile or two from
it by the line which it followed, it may in reality be not
more than fifty or a hundred yards away.
A very skilful tracker is necessary if one is to have
much hope of success, and one should not fire, even after
the game is in sight, unless he can get a brain shot or
can be certain of breaking the spinal column ; otherwise,
he endangers his own life by shooting, if the tamarau is
at moderately close quarters.
I believe that no other ruminant is harder to kill out-
right. Certainly there is no other approximating the
tamarau in size which is so tough. I refrain from chroni-
cling my own experiences, as I am certain that my state-
ments would not be believed, and prefer to leave hunters
to find out for themselves how much shooting it takes
to put one of these extraordinary beasts out of commission.
There is one place in Mindoro called Canturai, where
tamarau may be taken with comparative ease. It was
described to me, in Spanish days, as an extensive open
area with a conical hill near its centre, and I was told
that by burning the grass and sleeping on the hill one could
readily get early morning shots at tamarau which came
out to lick up the ashes.
But various other stories had also been told me, and
one and all had proved false. I had dug pitfalls for the
wary beasts in vain. I had perched in trees, devoured by
mosquitoes, and with hard branches cutting into my flesh,
waiting for some pugnacious bull to come out and fight
a tame carabao fastened at a convenient distance from
my hiding place, all to no purpose. Under such con-
ditions a tamarau once came and bellowed around in the
bushes, but did not show himself. I had heard tales
Old-style Road across Lowlands.
Tracks of this sort become completely impassable during the rainy season.
New-style Road across Lowlanus.
Roads like this are passable at all times.
ROD, SHOTGUN AND RIFLE 827
of men who rode tamarau down on horseback and lanced
them, and these yarns I knew to be false. So I never took
the trouble to look up the Canturai story, worse luck,
for it proved to be true.
American soldiers occupied Mindoro for years before
one of them succeeded in kilUng a tamarau. Finally
a party of officers went to Cantm-ai and the first morning
they shot seven ! Various other persons who have since
gone there have had extraordinary luck, although several
have narrowly escaped being killed, owing to their folly
in following wounded animals into the cogon grass.
A tamarau pursued under such circumstances will
almost invariably back off at right angles to its own trail,
wait for its pursuers to come up, and charge them, giving
them no time to fire.
Young cah^es are as wild as their parents, and I am
credibly informed will often endeavour to attack female
carabaos if an attempt is made to get them to regard these
animals in the light of foster mothers.
It is a curious fact that calves, and in fact young ani-
mals up to a year or more of age, are of a fight reddish
colour closely resembfing that of some Jersey cattle.
Their coats turn dark later on. Their horns, too, are at
first circular in cross-section. Later they become tri-
angular.
When pm-sued, tamarau cows have a curious fashion of
passing their heads under their calves, raising them with
the horns pressed down in such a way as to hold them
against their necks, with forelegs hanging on one side
and hindlegs on the other, and running with them. All
in all, they are very interesting beasts, and we stiU have
much to learn about them. The man who attempts to
hunt them with anything but a heavy and thoroughly
reliable rifle is a fool.
Crocodiles of the largest size frequent many of the
streams and most of the lakes in the PhiUppines. They
are also to be seen occasionally on sandbars rising out of
828 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
the sea. Doubtless they will some day be shot for
their hides, but as yet they are left undisturbed, unless
they display special proclivities for eating human beings,
valuable horses or fat cattle. The Filipinos claim that
with crocodiles the liking for human flesh is an acquired
taste, and that it is only in comparatively rare instances
that they become man-eaters, as do tigers. I beheve that
this is true. Certainly, I have seen a clear pool full of
happy Tagbanua children with a big crocodile lying in
plain sight at the bottom of it. On the other hand, I
have known of individual crocodiles, of evil reputation,
each of which have killed numbers of human beings.
In one little pool crossed by a trail which I have had
occasion frequently to use in Cagayan province ten
persons were pulled down and devoured in three years.
Most men who use the rifle sooner or later become in-
terested in putting these vicious reptiles out of the way
whenever opportunity offers.
Hunters and fishermen, in search of new and exciting
experiences, will not fail to meet with them in the
Philippines, and the tourist will find there much that is
picturesque, strange or wonderful.
CHAPTER XXX
Philippine Lands
Especial interest attaches to the subject of Philippine
lands for three reasons : first, the very large majority of
small landholders in the islands have no titles ; second,
there are enormous areas of unoccupied, unclaimed, un-
cultivated land which are doing no one any good at
present and ought to be brought under cultivation as
rapidly as possible ; third, not only insular government
officials, but Mr. Root and Mr. Taft have been very un-
justly attacked for the land policy pursued in the Phihp-
pines.
As regards ownership, some 31,879 square miles may
be considered to be private land to which owners have
obtained titles or could have done so had they known how
to assert their rights. Only about 8937 square miles of
this total amount are estimated to be under cultivation at
the present time.
Excepting only private lands and a few acres belonging
to municipal or provincial governments or to the insular
government as the case may be, the remaining land
constitutes the public domain of the Philippine Islands
which is the property of the government of the United
States, but is adininistered by the insular government.
It is made up of forest land, mineral land, agricultural
land, and foreshore and land under water.
Fifty-four thousand square miles are estimated to be
forest land. The rest is now provisionally classified as
agricultural land for the reason that the mineral land
and foreshore have never been segregated.
The condition in which private land titles were found
at the time of the American occupation was very distress-
829
830 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
ing. It had been a difficult matter to secure title under
the Spanish regime and the very large majority of the
common people had accordingly put it off until a mythical
to-morrow which never came. Even those who had
succeeded in obtaining formal documents had in many
instances lost them as a result of the vicissitudes of
war.
The Public Land Act of the Pliilippine Commission,
passed under the provisions of the Act of Congress of
July 1, 1902, became effective on July 26, 1904. It
contained liberal provisions relative to Spanish grants
and unperfected titles.
Any citizen of the Phihppine Islands or of the United
States or of any insular possession thereof over the age
of twenty-one years or the head of a family can obtain
a forty-acre homestead by five years of cultivation, two
years of occupancy and the payment of $10.
The Public Land Act also provided for the issuance of
a free patent to a tract not exceeding forty acres in extent
to any native of the Philippine Islands then an occupant
and cultivator of um'eserved, unappropriated, agricultm'al
public land who had continuously occupied and cultivated
such land either by liimself or through his ancestors
since August 1, 1898 ; or who prior to August 1, 1898,
continuously occupied and cultivated such land for
three years immediately prior to such date, and who had
been continuously since July 4, 1902, until the date of
the taking effect of the Public Land Act, an occupier and
cultivator of such land.
Most Uberal provision was thus made for the small
landowner, or would-be landowner, but neither Congress
nor the commission reckoned with the ignorance of the
common people nor with the opposition to the acquisition
of land by poor Filipinos which developed on the part of
their richer and more intelligent fellow-countrymen.
This latter difficulty has proved to be a quite serious one.
The cacique does not wish liis labourers to acquire land in
PHILIPPINE LANDS 831
their own right, for he knows well enough that if they did
so they would become self-supporting, and it would cease
to be possible for liim to hold them as peons, as is com-
monly done at present. Serious obstacles are therefore
frequently thrown in the way of poor people who desire
to become owners of land, and if this does not suffice,
active opposition is often made by municipal officers or
other influential Filipinos, who claim as their own private
jH-operty land which poor men are trying to get.'
• Of the endless eases whicli might be given I cite the following as a
fair sample : —
" Personally appeared before me the undersigned , this 24th day
of July, 1913, W. A. Northrop, who first being duly sworn, deposes
and says : —
" ' 1 . That he is a duly appointed Public Land Inspector of the Bureau
of Lands of the Government of the Philippine Islands and that acting
in such capaoitj' on the 3d day of June, 1913, he visited the sitio of
Buyon, barrio of Maddelaro, Municipality of Camalaniugan, province
of Cagayan and there investigated the complaint of homestead entry-
men Pascual Valdez and Tomas Valdez whose applications for land
in the said sitio of Buyon under provision of Act No. 926 as amended
had been entered by the Director of Lands under No. 92.53 and No.
9254 respectively, that they were prevented from occupying said home-
steads and deriving the benefits therefrom by certain persons living in
the barrio of Maddelaro :
" ' 2. That while so investigating the claim of the said entrymen and
their opponents he was told by Placido Rosal, one of the opponents to
the homestead entrys, that " it was immaterial to him what decision was
made by the Director of Lands concerning the land as, if he (Rosal) lost
the land he and others would burn the houses of the entrymen and if nec-
essary kill them" ; this in the Spanish language with which he is familiar.
" '3. That at that time he was accompanied by Mr. Bias Talosig
of the barrio of Buyag, who was acting as his interpreter in speaking
in the lloco language and that these threats were made in his hearing
and that he. W. A. Northrop, was informed by said interpreter that he
not only heard them but that he heard similar threats made in the lloco
language by various other persons, henchmen of the Placido Rosal
and his family.
'"4. That on the 9th day of June, 1913, said entrymen came to him
in the City of Aparri and reported that on the night on the 7th day of
June the granary of Eduardo BacUg, resident in the said sitio of Buyon
and a son-in-law of Tomas Valdez had been burned and an attempt
made to burn his house and that while the entrymen were not in posi-
tion to prove that said Placido Rosal or his henchmen had started the
fires they were sure they were of incendiary origin, as due to the diree-
832 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
The Bureau of Lands now interests itself actively and
directly in protecting the public lands against such
tion of the wind the fires could not have originated from sparks from
kitchen fires.'
" Further deponent sayeth not.
(Signed) " W. A. Northrop.
" Subscribed and sworn to before me this 24th day of July, 1913,
in Tuguegarao, Cagayan, Philippine Islands, the affiant first having
exhibited his cedula, No. 1516, issued in Manila, January 3, 1913.
(Signed) "Primitivo Villanueva
"Notario Publico,
" Mi nombramiento expira el
" 31 de Dieiembre de 1913."
" Extract from a report of H. 0. Bauman, chief of Bureau of Lands
survey party No. 27. Report dated June 30, 1913 :
" In 190o the applicant (Fernando Asirit) entered an application
for homestead and proceeded to clear the remainder of the land not
already cleared. Sometime during the following year or two, this
Catalino Sagon began to clear a piece of land included in the homestead
application. When Fernando Asirit saw the man cleaning the land,
he told the man that that particular land was included in the homestead
and that the work he was doing was useless. Catalino admitted this
to me personally. However, the applicant to show his good faith,
paid Catalino a sum of ten pesos for the small area that he had cleaned
and took a receipt therefor and Catalino left the land. Now when
the private surveyor came in 1910, this Catalino appears and claims
this land despite the fact that he never cultivated nor occupied the
land and that he received payment in full for the work that he had
done in clearing an acre of the land. When the land was surveyed in
1910, Catalino at the request of a politician of Ilagan, made a protest
against the land and between the two they frightened the applicant
into letting this Catalino have possession of the land. Since 1910,
Catalino has not cultivated the land but loaned it out to another per-
son Frederico Mayer by name. Personally, Catalino did not ever
cultivate or live on the land. The politician who has been stirring
up this trouble is Gabriel Maramag, third member of the Provincial
board. The applicant is an old man seventy years old and this Mara-
mag had the old man fined P125.80 for refusing to let these two have
his land. They also told him that if he persisted in refusing to let
them have the land, they would fine him P500. As the old man has
no such amount and being thoroughly buUdozed by these cheap poli-
ticians, he had no other course to pursue. The co-partner of the third
member is the Sheriff Joaquin Ortega against whom the people are
very bitter on account of his shady dealings. It might be noted here
that these men are under investigation by the Constabulary now for
accepting money illegally. Furthermore this Maramag has the plans
of the land of a great many men in his house and thus has a hold on
them and they cannot do anything without his consent."
PHILIPPINE LANDS 833
spurious claims, and thus keeps large areas open to claim
by the common people.
Absolute ignorance of the law was the commonest of all
causes of the failure of the poor to take advantage of its
very liberal provisions. Every known resource was ex-
hausted in endeavouring to enlighten them. PampMets
informing them of their rights were published in all
important native dialects, and widely circulated. The
schools cooperated in this good work. Provincial and
municipal officials were instructed to inform the people
of their rights, but in very many cases these instructions
were disregarded.
Because of the complete illiteracy of practically all
of the members of the non-Christian tribes in Benguet
and Lepanto, I caused a survey party to be sent out from
the Bureau of Lands to inform them of their rights and
to assist them in making the necessary applications.
It was from this territory that proportionately the largest
number of applications were sent in.
The period within which applications might be made was
extended from January 1, 1907 to January 1, 1909, yet
it is undoubtedly true that when it finally expired the vast
majority of those who might have profited by the free
patent privilege had failed to take advantage of it because
of ignorance that it existed.
With the rapid spread of the English language such a
condition would not now arise. At its last session the
Philippine Legislature passed an act to renew for a period
of ten years the right to secure free patent, but this act,
like the one which it amends, is subject to the approval
of the President and of Congress. It is to be hoped that
such approval will be given. In my opinion every reason
which made it advisable to grant free patents in the first
instance is still of full force.
The total number of homestead applications received
since the Pubhc Land Act took effect is only 19,313,
and of these it has been necessary to reject 4811 be-
834 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
cause the provisions of law were not complied with.
Forty-eight patents have been issued, and there are
8225 approved appUcations, while 6219 not yet approved
by the bureau are pending.
The figures for free patents are as follows : Number of
applications, 15,885 ; free patents issued, 722 ; cases
still pending, 11,871 ; rejected for cause 3292.
One reason why so many of the free patent cases are
still pending is that there never has been, and is not
now, a sufficient force of surveyors to keep the work of
the Bureau of Lands up to date, all efforts to secure the
necessary additions to this force having failed.
Under the Land Registration Act provision was made
for the issuing of so-called Torrens titles for which the
government is virtually responsible, once they are given
out, so all that is now necessary to make it possible
rapidly and effectively to remedy the existing situation is
the appointment of a sufficient number of judges in the
Court of Land Registration.
Government lands of provinces or municipalities are
chiefly those needed and utilized as sites for public build-
ings, plazas and the like. The insular government
owns a similar class of lands, and has certain lands in
trust, such as the San Lazaro Estate, wliich was set aside
long ago as a source of income for the support of lepers,
but the so-called friar lands, which have a history of
their own, are its most important holdings.
Under the Spanish regime several of the religious
orders acquired large wealth in the form of estates, most
of which were brought under high cultivation, although
several of the largest, like the San Jos6 Estate in Mindoro,
and the Isabela Estate in the province of the same name,
were nearly or quite uncultivated, and a number of the
others contained large uncultivated areas.
Field labour was performed exclusively by tenants who
were settled on the estates in large numbers and in a
number of instances had built up large and well-organized
PHILIPPINE LANDS 835
towns. For various reasons bitter hostility arose between
them and their landlords. In some parts of the islands
the friars were detested by the populace on general
principles. Furthermore, the Filipino becomes greatly
attached to his home, especially if his fathers have lived
there before him. Tenants on the friar estates could
be, and not infrequently were, arbitrarily dispossessed,
and the possibility that this might occur was a thorn in
their flesh.
Dm-ing the insurrection the confiscation of the friar
estates was very seriously considered by the so-called
Insurgent government, which nominally took over their
administration. As a matter of fact, there was then no
real administration of them, and the occupied lands
passed under the control of the tenants, who remained
in undisturbed possession for years and came to consider
themselves the virtual owners of their holdings. We
have already seen how hostility to the friars reached its
climax at this time. Some were killed outright, and
others imprisoned under such conditions as to make death
probable, but the majority of those captured were in
effect held for a long time for ransom, their liberty being
offered on condition of a large cash payment.
Upon the inauguration of civil government and the
reestablishment of law and order the friars naturally
endeavoured to reassert their rights. With few exceptions
their former tenants absolutely refused to pay rent.
The friars threatened action in the courts, and would
have been abundantly justified in bringing it, but such a
course would unquestionably have led to serious disturb-
ances of public order.
Agitators and demagogues had succeeded in firmly
convincing many of the tenants that they were the actual
owners of their lands, and those of them who knew better
were bright enough to take advantage of the peculiar
situation.
Hostility between Filipinos and friars had become so
836 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
general that the return of the latter to their parishes,
accustomed as they had been to the exercise of a large
measure of control over their parishioners, and with the
memory of grave abuses recently suffered fresh in their
minds, was deemed to be undesirable, but their permanent
withdrawal from the provinces was hardly feasible so long
as they continued to hold very large estates there. It
was beheved to be in the public interest to encourage
the several tenants to buy their individual holdings so
that they might become responsible landowners rather
than remain discontented and ready at any time to become
ladrones. It was believed that without great difficulty
they could be persuaded to attorn to the government,
and that if the estates could be pm'chased at a reasonable
price individual holdings could eventually be sold to
their occupants. Because of the beneficial influence of
such a com-se on public order and the probable resulting
improvement in social conditions, the purchase of these
estates was believed to be in the public interest.
Had there been sufficient funds in the treasury the
insular government would have been within its right in
making this purchase, but as the total sum involved was
large, and a bond issue was required to raise it, it became
necessary to get the consent of Congress. This was
given in sections 63, 64 and 65 of the Act of July 1,
1902. Under the authority thus conferred the commission
passed the so-called Friar Lands Act, which provided
among other things for the temporary leasing and ulti-
mate sale of their holdings to tenants as well as for the
determination of values and the fixing of rentals and pur-
chase prices.
Naturally the first thing to be done was to get tenants
to acknowledge the ownership of the government. Until
this could be brought about little could be accomplished
toward assisting them to buy their holdings. With all
possible promptness temporary leases were issued to them.
No effort was made carefully to ascertain the real extent
Typical Old-style Country Road.
Typical New-style Country Road.
Note the deposit of surfacing material. Also the caminero, or road tender, at
work. During the rainy season, one man looks after each kilometer of
road, keeping it constantly in repair. During the dry season one man
cares for two kilometers.
o
PHILIPPINE LANDS 837
or value of their holdings, and unless their statements
were upon their face obviously very gravely in error
they were accepted as a basis for the first leases issued.
The amount of opposition which was encountered was,
under the circumstances, surprisingly small, and the prog-
ress of the work was unexpectedly rapid.
Planimeter surveys were made as rapidly as possible,
and it was soon found, as had been anticipated, that ten-
ants in general had understated both the size and value of
their holdings. While the rate of rentals as compared
with values remained unchanged, there was a resulting
general increase in their amounts, and this caused mur-
muring, but no really serious trouble resulted. There
followed as rapidly as possible the completion of accurate
surveys and the fixing of final values which necessitated
further changes in rentals. The volume of work was
simply enormous. Many of the estates were divided into
an incredible number of small holdings with boundaries
of the utmost irregularity. An effort was made to get
the consent of the tenants to a readjustment of boun-
daries on a rectangular system, leaving the size of their
holdings unchanged but straightening them out. It
had to be abandoned. A tenant would be unwilling to
part with a given clump of bamboo or a magnificent
mango tree planted by liis great-great-grandfather. The
fact that these valuable possessions occupied salient
angles in his boundary naturally did not worry him at all.
The definite right to purchase their holdings was from
the outset conferred upon lessees so that from the time
the first leases were issued the only possible reasons for
the failure of a tenant to purchase his holdings would
be unwillingness to do so or lack of funds.
In passing the Friar Lands Act, which they did during
my absence on leave, the commission, none of whose
members were posted on land matters, rather thought-
lessly made applicable to the sale of vacant lands the
conditions and limitations of the Public Land Act.
VOL. II Z
838 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
We had been compelled to purchase some vacant
estates and to forego the purchase of several which were
thickly occupied, for the reason that the friars insisted
on selling the one and absolutely refused to sell the other.
We had to take the best bargain we could get. The
vacant lands on certain of the estates could not be sold
in small tracts.
The Friar Lands Act was accordingly amended by the
Philippine Legislature, of which the Philippine Assembly
was then the Lower House, and all restrictions on the
areas of those lands which might be sold were removed,
so as to make it possible to get rid of the vacant friar
lands.
Interest was piling up on the purchase price of the
latter, and obviously it was best for the government,
which had to administer them, and for the people, who
had to pay the bill, that they should be disposed of as
soon as possible.
Ultimately an opportunity presented itself to sell the
San Jose Estate of some fifty-eight thousand acres in its
entirety to an individual, and it was thus sold after con-
sultation with the attorney-general of the Philippines and
the attorney-general of the United States as to the rights
of the government in the premises, and with the approval
of the secretary of war and of President Taft first had.
The buyer acted as an agent for Messrs. Welch, Have-
meyer and Senf , who were all heavily interested in sugar
growing and desired to establish a modern sugar estate
in the PhiUppines. This fact, when it became known, was
the beginning of trouble.
Two very distinct classes of men were interested in im-
posing the existing legislative restrictions relative to the
sale of Philippine lands. The first were influenced by the
most honourable of altruistic motives. They feared the
monopolization of agricultural lands and the evils of
absentee ownershii). The other class were the represent-
atives of certain important sugar interests in the United
PHILIPPINE LANDS 839
States who wished to keep out Philippine sugar at all
hazards and had shrewdly figured out that the simplest
way to do this would be to prevent its production on a
commercial scale. They therefore sought to restrict the
sale of pubhc land so as to make it impossible for an
individual or an association to buy enough to establish
a modern sugar estate. Tliis they succeeded in doing.
They even went further, and by Umiting the land which
a corporation might own and control made it impossible
for a corporation to purchase enough land of any sort
for such an estate. But that is another story with
which we are not here concerned.
They built a fence around Philippine lands which
they deemed to be"pig-tight, horse-high, and bull-strong,"
but we unwittingly cut a small hole through it. The
limitations on the sales of land did not apply to land
belonging to the insular government which had first im-
posed certain restrictions on the size of the areas of
vacant friar land which might be sold and had then re-
moved them, having the same right to do the one thing
that it exercised in doing the other.
The San Jose Estate was sold to an individual. By
him it was sold in part to other individuals who had the
undoubted right to acquire as much land as they coidd get,
and in part to a corporation not authorized to engage in
agriculture which acquired only such land as it needed to
conduct its legitimate business and was therefore within
its legal right. The transaction was a perfectly legitimate
one from every view point. It spread consternation
among the beet-sugar men, and Congressman Martin of
Colorado, a state which has extensive beet-sugar interests,
made upon the floor of the House a sciurilous attack
upon President Taft, Secretary Root and the insular
government officials concerned in which he accused them
of violating the law and of having formed a gigantic
conspiracy with great corporate interests, more especially
with certain sugar interests, not only to deprive the friar
840 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
land tenants of their holdings but to prevent FUipinos
in general from acquiring land and to turn the Philip-
pines over to the trusts. Mr. Martin and his fellows
insisted that section sixty-five of the Act of July 1, 1902,
in itself imposed the restrictions of the Public Land Act
on the sale of friar lands ; that the commission in im-
posing these limitations in the first instance had merely
voiced the will of Congress and that its act in subsequently
withdrawing them was illegal and iniquitous. They
apparently lost sight of the fact that if so, the iniquity was
shared by the Philippine Assembly. Later they endeav-
oured to explain the action of the assembly by saying
that it did not know what it was doing, and certain mem-
bers of that body made a similar claim, for poUtical
effect. As a matter of fact, I myself explained to the
members of the assembly friar lands committee the
purpose of the bill with which they were then in full
accord.
I requested an investigation. One was authorized by
the House. It was made by the Committee on Insular
Affaks. Its cost to the United States was very large.
The secretaiy of the interior, the executive secretary,
the attorney-general, the director of lands and other
witnesses, were called to Washington from the Philip-
pines and taken away from their work at a rather
critical time. The result was a complete vindication of
the several persons who had been attacked. Congress-
man Martin failed to make good his charges in any
particular, and incidentally members of the com-
mittee and such other persons as cared to follow the
proceedings were given a valuable demonstration of
the manner in which the insular government transacts
its business.
There was, however, one unfortunate indirect effect.
In view of the difference of opinion among congressmen
as to whether Congress had or had not intended to make
the limitations to the PubUc Land Act relative to areas
PHILIPPINE LANDS 841
which could be sold applicable to friar lands the sec-
retary of war issued an executive order providing that
their sale should be subject to such hmitations, pend-
ing an expression by Congress of its will in the matter.
Congress has never acted.
There are large tracts of vacant friar lands which cannot
be sold for years to come, if subject to existing restrictions,
either because they are situated in very sparsely inhabited
I'egions where there is no demand for them on the part
of would-be small landowners, or because the price as
fixed by law is materially in excess of that of equally
good, adjacent, unoccupied pubhc lands which can be
had subject to identical conditions as to areas purchasable.
As the Philippines are "land poor," the inadvisabihty of
such a pohcy would seem to be sufficiently evident.
The argument against large estates is without force,
both because the amount of land concerned is relatively
insignificant, and because there are already in the islands
so many large estates, owned in many instances by
Filipinos, that the addition of a few new ones more or
less would not perceptibly change the existing situation.
The question might well be raised as to the authority
of the secretary of war to suspend by an executive order
the operation of a law duly enacted by the Philippine
legislature pursuant to powers conferred by Congress,
especially as Congress has power, and has had opportunity,
to disapprove it. I think it possible that the director
of lands could be compelled by mandamus to sell
vacant friar lands in any quantity to an individual
applicant.
The facts as regards forest lands are, set forth in suffi-
cient detail in the chapter on the Philippine forests.
The existing legislation relative to mineral lands is
defective, or objectionable, in several minor particulars,
but on the whole is reasonably satisfactory except for
the provision that a person may locate but one claim on a
given vein or lode. Such a provision would have very
842 THE PHILIPPIN'EP PAST AXD PRE5EXT
greatly hampered the development of the mining industry
in the United States and it greatly hampers it in the
Philippines.
Recommendations that Congress amend the law relative
to mining claims have been persistently made by the
commission and have been persistently ignored, probably
for the reason that Congress is too busy with other
matters to give much attention to such requests from
the Philippines.
We now come to the subject of pubhc agricultural lands.
I have already called attention to the fact that little
advantage has been taken of the liberal provision of the
Pubhc Land Act relative to free patents and homesteads.
There has been some agitation in favour of a homestead
of one hundred sixty acres mstead of the forty acres now
allowed. Pei-sonally I do not attach great importance to
this matter. Five acres is as much as the average Filipino
will cultivate^ and if he has forty there is abundant room
for him so to distribute his cultivated area as to let much
of his land "rest," which he is very fond of doing. To
increase the size of the homestead woidd help a verj-
liniited number of Americans, but a better way of
accomphshing this would be to allow them to buy what
thej' require, within reasonable limits.
No one who has not traveUed ■ft'idely in the Phihppiaes
can be adequately impressed with the insignificance of
the areas now under cultivation as compared with
those which would richly repay it. The country' is
failing to produce food enough for eight millions of
people, yet if advantage were taken of the opportunities
which nature so bountifuUy affords it could readih' feed
eighty millions.
Under such conditions the present restrictions on the
' The best e\-idenee of wliat the average Filipino cultivates is found
in the free patents. Of the 15,88.5 free patents applied for the aver-
age area is declared to be 7| acres ; 4,025 Free Patents have been
actually surveyed ; their average area is only 5 acres.
PHILIPPINE LANDS 843
sale of public lands, which make it impossible for an
individual to buy more than forty acres, or for a corpora-
tion or association of individuals to buy more than twenty-
five hundred acres, are simply absurd. What we want is
not the indefinite preservation of our present vast track-
less wastes of the richest public agricultural land, but
productive farms.
Every opportunity should be extended to each native
of these islands who desires to obtain land and cultivate
it with his own hands.
The same statement holds for persons who wish to
secure land and to employ others as labourers. Large
estates on which modern machinery and modern agri-
cultural methods are employed are greatly needed.
The methods employed by Filipino owners of such estates
are primitive. The natives believe what they see, and
learn far better by example than in any other way.
Absolutely no harm has resulted from the establishment
of large sugar plantations on the San Jos6 Estate in Min-
doro and the Calamba Estate in Luzon. On the con-
trary, both of these great farms have supplied abundant
labour at increased wages to a very large number of needy
people ; have taught labourers much about sanitarj^ living,
and have given them veiy valuable object lessons in
agriculture. Both are frequently visited by intelligent
agriculturists glad of the opportunity to acquire the
practical knowledge which can there be so easily obtained
by observation.
It may be a revolutionary statement to make, but if
I personally controlled the public lands of the Phihppine
Islands, I would wathout hesitation give them to persons
who would cultivate them, making the amounts con-
ceded dependent strictly upon the abihty of their would-be
owners to cultivate, and restoring to the public domain
any lands not promptly and properly utilized.
The monej' which the government now derives from
the sale of pubhc lands is a bagatelle compared with the
844 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
benefit which would result to the country if cultivated
areas were widely extended, and there is abundant labour
here to extend them very rapidly. All that is needed
is the introduction of modern maclunery, modern agri-
cultural methods and capital.
The existing provisions of the PubUc Land Act relative
to leases are very liberal, but the average man wants to
owTi land before he spends much money on it.
There are several serious omissions in the provisions of
the act of Congress relative to the sale of public lands.
No authority exists for their sale for residence purposes,
business purposes, or cemetery purposes, except within
town sites. The need of land for cemetery purposes
became so acute that I deemed it wise to stretch the law a
bit in meeting it. Many of the old cemeteries were
situated in the midst of dense centres of population, or
immediately adjacent to sources of pubhc water supply.
Their areas were usually grossly inadequate properly to
accommodate the very large number of bodies requiring
to be buried. Shockingly unsanitary conditions resulted,
and it became necessary for the Bureau of Health to
close many of them. Because of the trouble between the
Aglipayan and Cathohc churches, it was often im-
possible for representatives of the Catholic church to
purchase private lands for cemetery purposes. Their
old cemeteries were closed, yet they could not open
new ones, although able and willing to pay liberally for
the necessary laud. Under these circumstances I ruled
that public land could be sold to them, and that occupation
by caretakers, and such cultivation as is ordinarily
given in beautifying cemeteries, would be held to con-
stitute occupation and cultivation within the meaning
of the law, so that title could eventually pass.
In closing let me emphasize the fact that the only
method of informing the common people of the Philippines
relative to their rights in the matter of acquiring pubhc
lands thus far found practicable has been to send special
A Canga, or Cahabao Sledge.
Sledges of this sort, which were formerly in common use, promptly-
destroyed Kood roads.
A new-style cart, with broad-tired wheels, which does not injure tlie roads.
PHILIPPINE LANDS 845
land inspectors from house to house, to convey the
information by word of mouth. A considerable number
of such inspectors are now employed, and more are badly
needed.
The total area of all public lands sold to Americans
or foreigners since the American occupation is seventeen
thousand acres ; that of all public lands leased by such
persons, seventeen thousand three hundred ninety acres.
This is the answer to those who claim that there has been
exploitation of the public domain.
The needs of the PhiUppine Islands in the matter of
land legislation may be briefly summarized as follows : — -
More judges in the Court of Land Registration so that
the cadastral survey work may be expedited, and the
poor man may be able to obtain title to his holdings
promptly and at small expense.
The employment of more surveyors on public land work.
A renewal of the privilege of obtaining free patents on
the old conditions during a period of at least ten years.
The employment of more public land inspectors to
inform the poor and ignorant of their rights, and to assist
them in obtaining them.
More liberal legislation relative to the size of the
tracts of public land which may be purchased, and the
number of mining claims on a given vein or lode which
an individual may record.
Authorization for the sale of public agricultural lands
outside of town sites for residence purposes, business
purposes, and for cemeteries.
CHAPTER XXXI
The Philippine Forests
Would that I had adequate words in which to describe
the wonders of the PhiUppine forests, through which I
wandered ahnost daily for four years, and which I love
to revisit whenever the opportunity presents itself ! Their
majestic stateliness and magic beauty defy description.
I have seen them swept by hurricanes when huge branches
crashed down and mighty trees thundered to earth, imperil-
Hng life and limb, and I have seen them in the still noons
of the tropics when not a leaf stirred. At times they are
vocal with songs of birds and ceaseless din of insects,
and again they are as silent as the grave. Who could
do justice to the endless variety and beauty of tree-trunk,
leaf and flower ; the exquisite drapery of vines, ferns and
orchids which covers the older forest monarchs ; the
weird masses of aerial roots which lead superstitious
natives to beheve some trees to be haunted, and small
wonder ; the ever changing Ught and shade bringing
out new beauties where one least expects to find them ;
the endless differences in the flora due to variations in
altitude and in the distribution of moisture ?
In Mindoro, Palawan and Mindanao we find tropical
vegetation in its absolute perfection ; in the highlands
of northern Luzon we meet our old friends, the pine and
oak, while beside them grow strawberries, raspberries,
huckleberries, jacks-in-the-pulpit and other friends of
our childhood days.
Surely the Philippine forests should be preserv^ed, but
not for their beautj^ alone ! In them the people have a
846
THE PHILIPPINE FORESTS 847
permanent source of wealth, if they can only be made to
realize it and to take proper measures to protect it. Cer-
tainly no other country has a greater variety of beautiful
and serviceable woods. Some of them are so close-
grained and hard that they successfully resist the attacks
of white ants, and prove almost indestructible even when
buried in the earth. Others will not stand exposure to the
weather, but last indefinitely under cover and are excellent
for inside framing and finishing. We have the best of
cabinet woods, such as ebony, camagon, narra,^ acle, and
tindalo. From some of our trees come valuable gums,
such as almaciga - and gutta percha. Others produce
alcohol, tan barks, dyewoods, valuable vegetable oils
or drugs. The so-called "Singapore cane," so highly
prized by makers of wicker furniture, grows abundantly
in Palawan. Great areas are covered with a bamboo
which makes an excellent paper pulp.
In short, the Philippine forests should be like money
in the bank for the inhabitants of the islands. There
are in this world wise people who under ordinary circum-
stances spend only the interest on their money ; and there
are others who spend the principal while it lasts. To
which class do the Filipinos belong?
It has been said that the ci\'iUzation of a people may
be measured by its forest practice, and in a sense this is
true, for forestry as we know it to-day, and as the leading
nations of Europe have known it for a long period, means
the limiting of immediate gain in the hope of future re-
ward, direct and indirect ; in fact, it means present-day
sacrifice for the sake of an unborn posterity. A wise
national forest poUcy therefore involves not only fore-
sight, but statesmanship and patriotism, which in their
most advanced degree are to be found onlj^ among the
people of the most enlightened nations. The manner in
which a people regards its forest resources may be taken
as fairly indicative of its outlook in general. What then
' Frequently and wrongly called rosewood. - Damax.
848 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
has been the policy of the Phihppine government and
what the attitude of the people, toward these resources ?
There is little room for doubt that practically the
entire land area of the Philippines from the plains at
sea-level to the highest mountain-tops was originally
covered with forest growth. At the time of the Ameri-
can occupation two-thirds of this wonderful heritage had
ceased to exist. This would be all very well if any con-
siderable portion of the vast deforested areas were cul-
tivated, or put to any permanent profitable use, but such
is not the case. According to the best estimates which it
has thus far been possible to make, only about fifteen per
cent of the land from which the original forests have been
stripped is to-day under any form of cultivation. The
remainder is covered with conmiercially worthless second-
growth forest, and with several giant grasses which are
collectively known as cdgon.
The cogondles ^ make up approximately sixty per cent of
the deforested area, or forty per cent of the land area of
the entire archipelago. They are not good for grazing
unless fed down very closely. They are difficult to bring
under cultivation because of the vitahty of the grass
roots and the acidity which they impart to the soil.
Cogondles are often the breeding places of swarms of
locusts which devour growing crops in neighbouring fields.
They have been produced by the shiftless form of agri-
culture known as caingin maldng.
A large majority of the inhabitants of the Philippines
will not fight, for any length of time, the tropical weeds
and grasses which invade their cultivated fields, and rather
than attempt to do so prefer to clear forest lands, slaugh-
tering the trees indiscriminately and burning them where
they fall. An area so cleared is known as a caingin. It
is usually planted with camotes, corn, rice or some similar
quick-growing crop. Cultivation is carried on in a hap-
hazard way, but is soon abandoned when a jungle growth
• An extensive open region covered with cogon is called a cogondl.
THE PHILIPPINE FORESTS 849
of grass, weeds and seedling trees begins to spring up.
At the end of the first, the second or, at latest the third
year the caingin maker abandons his clearing and starts
a new one. Fires sweep over the abandoned areas, kill-
ing everything except the cogon grass which takes posses-
sion and holds it against all comers. The forest de-
struction thus wrought in the past is appalhng. Within
limits, it still continues, although unUcensed caingin
making is now forbidden by law.
In cutting timber for domestic use and for the market,
the Fihpinos have in the past been absolutely indifferent
to the matter of reproduction, making a clean sweep in
those places where merchantable tree species could be
readily and cheaply obtained.
Six weeks after the Philippine Commission became
the legislative body of the islands, it passed an act for
the reorganization of the Forestry Bureau, which had
previously been created by military order, continuing as
its chief Major George P. Ahem, who had held this posi-
tion under the military regime, and who is to-day in length
of ser\'ice the ranking bureau chief of the insular govern-
ment.
Major Ahern was thus intrusted with the management
of some fifty-four thousand square miles of forest land,
and was charged with the duty of investigating the
forest resources of the Philippines, and of developing and
protecting them. These two latter objects are by no
means incompatible. Vastly more timber falls and rots
in the Philippines than is cut and marketed, and the
forest wealth of the islands may be developed in such a
way as actually to improve the areas that are cut over
by removing old trees, and thus gi^-ing light and air
to younger ones which then rapidly grow up and take
their places.
The stand of hardwood timber in the Philippines is
now probably the finest in the world. The United States
and Europe are ready to purchase every foot of the selected
850 THE rHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
grades of lumber that we can ship. China offers a prac-
tically inexhaustible market for the cheaper grades.
Stumpage charges are moderate. Yet in spite of all these
advantages the islands do not, as yet, produce lumber
enough to supply their own needs.
This condition is rapidly changing, however, and if
adequate measures are not adopted for the conservation
of the forests, we shall sooner or later be confronted with
the danger of their devastation by the lumberman.
Under the direction of the Bm-eau of Forestry the trees
which are to be felled are in many instances marked, and
in any event care is taken to prevent the cutting of any
which have not attained to certain prescribed diameters,
while the leaving of enough adequately to provide for
reproduction is obligatory.
Up to the time of the American occupation forest
operations had been limited to a very small number of
well-known species of demonstrated conunercial value.
The total number of tree species which had then been
identified was about twelve hundred. The number identi-
fied up to the present time is approximately twenty-five
hundred. A large amount of important work has been
done in determining what ones of the connnercially un-
known species are valuable, and in what ways they may
best be utihzed.
One of the most important functions of the Bureau
of Forestry has been to investigate unexplored and un-
known forests, and ascertain definitely the stand of com-
mercially valuable trees, at the same time giving proper
consideration to the practicabiUty of getting lumber
from them to the market at reasonable expense. As a
result of this work the bureau has been able to furnish
much accurate and valuable information to persons desir-
ing to engage in the lumber industry.
Some forests have been found to be very valuable,
while others are practically' worthless either on account
of the absence of the better tree species or because of
THE PHILIPPINE FORESTa 851
difficulties which render it impossible or unprofitable to
transport lumber from them to a market.
At the time of the American occupation the methods
employed in felhng trees and converting them into lum-
ber were primitive in the extreme. The small Malay
axe, the edge of which is hardly wider than that of a good-
sized chisel, was in common use. Once felled, trees were
necessarily cut into short lengths, as all logs had to be
hauled by carabaos. The logs were ultimately cut into
lumber by hand with whip-saws operated, as a rule, by
two men each. There was not a modem sawmill in the
Phihppine Islands. The few mills which existed were of
the most antiquated type, and with one or two negUgible
exceptions were confined to Manila.
To-day there are about sixty steam sawmills in opera-
tion and orders have been placed for others, some of
which will have a capacity of one hundred thousand
board feet of lumber per day. The actual invest-
ment in logging equipment and sawmills runs into the
milUons of dollars.
Logging was formerly closely restricted to the most
valuable species, so situated that they could be rolled
into the water or hauled to the beach by carabaos. Large
tracts are now being logged with modem machinery under
conservative forest methods, and the logging railway and
the skidding engine are rapidly coming into use.
Three forest reserves, smiilar in purpose to the national
forests of the United States, have been set aside to insure
a permanent timber supply in certain regions and to
afford permanent protection to streams capable of fur-
nishing irrigation water upon which may depend the
prosperity of the inhabitants of neighbouring plains.
One hundred and forty-nine conmiunal forests have been
created for as many municipalities, in order permanently
to provide them with timber and firewood. The interests
of the Filipinos themselves have been given first considera-
tion, and the inhabitants of towns for which communal
852 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
forests have not been set aside may freely cut and gather
from any public forest, without license and without
payment, all timber of the second and lower groups which
they require for domestic use, while gratuitous licenses
can be had for first-group timber to be employed in the
construction of permanent houses.
Within recent years the revenue derived from forest
products has steadily increased, in spite of the fact that
the government charges have been materially reduced.
The public forests of the Philippines are not sold, but
are developed under a hcense system. Small operators
usually work under ordinary yearly Ucenses for definite
small areas. Exclusive licenses, or concessions as they are
popularly called, are generally in the form of twenty-
year exclusive licenses to cut and remove timber and other
forest products from certain specified tracts. The land
itself is in no way affected by such Ucenses. Merely
the timber and minor forest products are included.
When a lumberman is seriously considering an invest-
ment in the Phihppines, he himself, or an experienced
representative, should state to the director of forestry ap-
proximately the extent of the investment he contemplates.
He will then be given information about several tracts
which promise to answer his needs, and arrangements can
be made for an experienced forester to accompany him
over the tracts in question so that he may size up condi-
tions for himself. All maps, estimates and other detailed
information which may have been collected on the tracts
will, of course, be placed at his disposal, and he can count
upon the heartiest governmental cooperation and assist-
ance in making a success of his enterprise. It should be
understood, however, that in no case does the director of
forestry guarantee the correctness of the estimates or
other data which he furnishes. These are given to the
applicant for what they are worth, and in every case he is
advised to take such steps as may be necessary to satisfy
himself as to whether or not they are correct. If the
5 >f
J^ 3
r -a
o :g
o
J5
o
J3
li
THE PHILIPPINE FORESTS 853
lumberman then decides to apply for a concession, he
makes a formal application in writing to the director of
forestry for an exclusive twenty-year privilege for the tract
he has selected. His application is then forwarded by the
director of forestry with recommendations to the secretary
of the interior, who may approve the issuance of an exclu-
sive license if he decides that such a course is in the public
interest. For an area of more than a thousand hectares
(approximately twenty-five hundred acres) proposals for
bids to secure the desired privilege are published in the
Official Gazette and other papers. At least six weeks inter-
vene between the appearance of the first advertisement and
the opening of the bids, but in order to give interested par-
ties in the Philippines ample time to correspond with their
principals in Europe or America, this period is usually
extended to about four months. The advertisement also
enumerates certain minimum requirements which princi-
pally specify the minimum amount of capital which
must be invested within a certain given time and the mini-
mum cut during the several succeeding years, together
with certain requirements regarding logging and milling
equipment.
Formal bids are finally submitted, and the license is
ordinarily granted to the bidder who gives the best
assurances of developing the tract most thoroughly and
promptly. The right to reject any and all bids is ex-
pressly reserved.
In fixing the annual production there is taken into con-
sideration, so far as possible, the amount of over-mature
timber on the stand and the amount of the annual incre-
ment, with the object of rendering the investment a perma-
nent one instead of merely permitting the operator to
strip and abandon the area he holds. In preparing regu-
lations under which the operator is required to work, first
care is given to the future condition of the area, in order
that the land after logging may be potentially as valuable
as before, and no consideration of immediate profit is
VOL. II — 2 a
854 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
allowed to interfere. Nevertheless, the logger in the
Philippines will find that in comparison with similar
conditions elsewhere he will have few restrictions to con-
tend with, and in practically no cases are these such as
seriously to increase the cost of his operations. It is to
permit such permanent use of the land that concessions
are granted over such large areas, often consisting of a
hundred square miles or even more.
As local residents are given the right to cut what lumber
and firewood they may need for their private use in the
territory covered by exclusive licenses, this system is not
open to objection, especially as there are more than suffi-
cient forest areas to accommodate all applicants desir-
ing exclusive licenses. The director of forestry has
the right to reduce cutting areas if outputs do not come
up to requirements, so that a dog-in-the-manger policy
is rendered impossible.
The local market takes about one hundred million
feet per year. Only a few million feet are exported an-
nually at present. A properly distributed cut of five
hundred million feet per year would actually improve
the forests.
It would seem that the pohcy which we have followed
would meet with the almost unanimous approval of the
Filipinos, but as a matter of fact it has been far from
popular with them. The forest reserves have been set
aside against the protest of the very people who will
profit by the conservation of their resources, and would
be the first to suffer from their destruction. The native
press, and the Filipinos generally, have opposed the open-
ing up of timber tracts by modern logging methods,
despite the fact that such tracts are usually inaccessible
to persons operating with old-fashioned equipment, and
the further fact that the establishment of important
lumbering enterprises means additional emploj^ment for
well-paid skilled and unskilled labor, increase in the money
in circulation, decrease in lumber imports and the ultimate
THE PHILIPPINE FORESTS 855
development of a lucrative export trade. Fear of Ameri-
can capital can hardly be cited as an explanation of this
phenomenon. Of three concessions granted last year
only one, which was subsequently abandoned, went to
American capitalists.
Thus far the Fihpinos have made no attempt to share
in the development of their forests on any save a very
small scale. Of the total amount of lumber sawed in the
islands only about ten per cent is produced in mills owned
or controlled by them. It is useless to argue that the
timber should be saved for future generations, for if not
cut at maturity trees fall and rot.
So far as concerns conservation, the attitude of the
Fihpinos is even less satisfactory. There is abundant
evidence on which to base a prediction as to the pohcy
which they would follow in practice, if the compelling
hand of an enhghtened nation were withdrawn.
There is a singular indifference to the results of wanton
forest destruction, not only on the part of the persons
guilty of it but on that of the municipal, provincial and
judicial officials who should prevent it by enforcing the
law. Even when the employees of the Bureau of Forestry
have laboriously gathered conclusive evidence against
caingin makers it often proves excessively difficult, or
impossible, to secure conviction. The existing opposi-
tion to forest protection springs from a desire on the part
of the Filipinos to consume their capital as well as their
interest, without thought of the morrow, or of the perma-
nent advantage to their country as a whole which would
result from conservation of its forest wealth. If they
were left to their own devices the forests would once more
blaze with caingin fires set by the poor peasant at the
command of the influential cacique. Unfortunately that
is now only too often the way in which caingins come
to be made. The rich landowners compel ignorant
dependents to make them, furnishing seed for the first
agricultural crop. Under this arrangement the poor
856 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
labourer runs all the risk of being prosecuted, does all
the work, and often gives half or more of his crop to the
cacique as a return for the seed loaned him. After the
caingin is abandoned the coLcique claims the land as his
own, and through his influence in provincial politics can
often succeed in delaying, or avoiding, prosecution even
if detected in his wrong-doing.
What the result would be were all restraint withdrawn,
and were the Filipinos permitted to destroy their forest
resources at will, may easily be inferred from what has
happened in the past, as well as from the difficulties en-
countered in enforcing the present law. Cebu, the most
thickly populated large island in the archipelago, is
already practically deforested, and until recently many
other islands have been rapidly approaching the same
unfortunate condition.
Under conservative forest management the existing
annual output of lumber might be increased fivefold and
the unfortunate results from reckless cutting, which
have so frequently occurred in the past and which not
infrequently still occur, might be completely avoided.
If these very desirable ends are to be attained, the
force employed by the Bureau of Forestry must be mate-
rially augmented. It has been conclusively demonstrated
that every increase in the number of its employees is
promptly followed by a sufficient increase in the insular
revenues derived from forest products to more than offset
the expense involved in the payment of the additional
salaries and travel expenses. For every extra peso that the
government expends in tliis way it takes in about two, and
if this can be done, and the enormous forest resources of
the islands developed and conserved at the same time,
there ought to be no trouble in securing the necessary
legislation.
I long endeavoured to bring about the establishment
of a fixed relationship between the amount annually
collected on forest products and the amount allotted for
THE PHILIPPINE FORESTS 857
the work of the Bureau of Forestry. Obviously the work-
ing force of the bureau must be increased as the lumber
industry develops, or adequate supervision cannot be
exercised.
Increasing the working force of the bureau makes
possible investigations which stimulate the development
of the lumber industry, and lead to a largely increased
output.
The collection of revenue on forest products from
government lands is made by the Bureau of Internal
Revenue under the general supervision of the secretary
of finance and justice. I have recently learned, to my
amazement, that every large sawmill owner in the islands
is allowed to make the statement of the output of his
mill upon which collections are based ; a procedure
very like allowing importers to assess their own cus-
toms dues. The ine\itable result is that the goverrmient
is robbed right and left. Finding that an attempt was
made to justify this procedure on the ground that it
was impracticable to have lumber measured at the mills,
as the Bureau of Internal Revenue has not sufficient
employees for this purpose, I endeavoured to remedy this
extraordinarj' situation.
Under existing law, timber may be measured in the
round, in the square, or after it has been manufactured
into lumber. Measurement in the round is quick and
simple, and it has the further advantage that loss due to
wasteful sawing falls on the lumberman, while if the
sawed lumber only is measured such loss falls on the gov-
ernment. I therefore drafted and submitted to the com-
mission a law pro^^ding that all timber should be meas-
ured in the round, with proper allowance for defects.
Had the law passed, I could have had employees of the
Bureau of Forestry measure the logs brought into each
of the several mills which collectively turn out ninety per
cent of the sawn lumber of the islands, and so could have
effectively prevented frauds upon the government.
858 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
A system which practically allows the individuals
interested to fix the amounts which they shall pay the
government for its timber naturally meets with the un-
qualified approval of the lumbermen. I therefore ex-
pected that they would strenuously object to the proposed
change in law. To my surprise there was no com-
plaint while it was pending before the commission, which
passed it.
Then, and only then, I learned that certain lumber-
men had quietly done their work where they believed,
rightly, that it would be effective, and that the bill would
not pass the assembly. An effective lobby, headed by a
Filipino representative of the largest Filipino lumbering
concern in the islands, had been organized against it,
and so a measure having no other object or effect than to
prevent frauds on the government and increase its
revenue, was killed, for the time at least, consideration
of the bill being "deferred," by the assembly, with the
result that a large number of foreign mill owners will be
allowed to continue to make an illegitimate profit, and a
very limited number of Filipino mill owners will do the
same.
The commercial outlook for the Philippine lumber
industry is very encouraging. No more greedy lumber
market exists than jManila has offered during the past
few years, this condition being due primarily to the
stimulus given to all lines of industrial development by
the economic policy of the insular administration.
Prices are high, and the supply is still unequal to the
local demand. Forest products to the value of $696,407
were last year imported into the Philippines when we
should have exported them in large quantities. A lum-
ber company properly equipped and managed, and operat-
ing on a suitable tract, can place lumber in its Manila
yards at a cost of half or even less than half the price at
which the same lumber readily sells. The export trade,
which should be very profitable, has as yet scarcely been
THE PHILIPPINE FORESTS 859
inaugurated. Tan bark, dyewoods, valuable gums and
rattans find a ready sale. It may reasonably be expected
that the world's demand for forest products of all kinds
will increase as the years go by, and that the resources
of older countries will become depleted, or at least inade-
quate to supply steadily growing needs. Forest growth
in the Phihppines is rapid, and under suitable conserva-
tion methods reforestation comes about quickly. With
continued enforcement of existing law, and with adequate
supervision over cutting and reforestation, the cost of
which should be paid by the lumber industry itself, the
forests of the islands should become an important per-
manent source of revenue and wealth. Fihpinos ought
to become holders of forest concessions instead of labourers
on the concessions of others. Wliether any considerable
number of them will care to do so remains to be seen, but
at all events their forests should be conserved, so that the
opportunity may be ever before them. At the present
time caihgin makers destroy far more timber in the course
of a year than lumbermen use.
In the hope of awakening an interest among Fihpinos
in forest conservation and development, and of being
able to train an adequate Filipino working force, a forest
school has been started at Los Banos, m the immediate
vicinity of one of our forest reserves, where practical
instruction can advantageously be given. It is antici-
pated that the graduates of this school will be of great use
in bringing about a radical change in the attitude of the
Filipinos toward forest conservation.
It is an astonishing fact that the Bontoc and Lepanto
Igorots have been the only ones of the very numerous
Philippine peoples to see for themselves the benefits
derivable from forest conservation.
When I first visited their country I noted that all the
trees in certain pine forests were carefully trimmed of their
lower branches, and on inquiry found that trees might
not be felled until they reached a certain size, although
860 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
branches might be cut for firewood. The prevention of
fires, which are very destructive in pine forests, and the
care of young trees, were also adequately provided for !
The Bureau of Forestry now employs Igorots as fire war-
dens in Benguet and Bontoc.
If the policy were adopted of appropriating annually an
amount equivalent to sixty per cent of the forest revenues
for the work of the Bureau of Forestry, the proper con-
servation and development of the great potential source
of wealth intrusted to that bureau would be adequately
provided for. The commission has agreed to such an
arrangement ; ten per cent of the total forest revenues to
be expended in the provinces under its exclusive legis-
lative control, and fifty per cent in the other provinces.
Appropriations for the territory occupied by non-Chris-
tians are now made on this basis. No appropriation
bill has been passed by the assembly since this pohcy
was agreed to by the commission. It remains to be seen
whether the former body will favour the expenditures nec-
essary to support the work of forest conservation and de-
velopment, with the reasonable certainty that such work
will not only assure to them and to coming generations a
permanent source of wealth, but will more than pay for
itself in dollars and cents.
CHAPTER XXXII
Improved Means of Communication
The improvement in means of communication which
has taken place in the Philippines since the American
occupation is almost revolutionary. I well remember
my tribulations in the Spanish days, resulting from the
inadequacy of the mail system. There were long delays
in receiving letters sent from Manila to the more impor-
tant to\\T.is in the archipelago, but if, as was usually the
case with us, one was hving in a small and more or less
isolated provincial to-mi, he was fortunate to get his
letters at all. They would be forwarded from place to
place by irresponsible native carriers, and under the most
favourable circumstances were likely to be greatlj^ de-
layed in transmission. There was httle respect for the
privacy of letters. On one occasion I arrived at Jolo,
confidently expecting a large mail, only to be disappointed.
A week later my companion, Dr. Bourns, was calUng
upon a German resident of that place. Lying in a
waste-basket he saw a letter written in a hand which he
recognized as that of one of my friends. He thereupon
called upon the German to dehver any other letters he
might have for me, and some were produced, but others
had been throwoi away ! We foimd that our mail had
begun to come prior to our arrival, and as the Spanish
postmaster did not know any persons named Bourns
or Worcester he turned it over to this man to see
whether he could make out whom it was for. The latter
opened the letters, read them, and threw them away.
But this was not the worst of it. There was a time
when for months I received no letters, and my companion
861
862 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
no newspapers or magazines. Then the arrangement
was reversed. I got my letters but no papers or maga-
zines, while he had papers but no letters.
Under the Spanish regime letter carriers in Manila
received the munificent salary of $46 per annum, but
were authorized to collect a charge of three-quarters of a
cent on every article of mail delivered by them, except
letters from foreign countries and letters passing between
persons hving in Manila.
The Spanish government did not admit general mer-
chandise to the mails, but accepted only samples and
medicine. We admit all classes of merchandise except
certain objectionable things and certain articles dangerous
to the mails or to those handling them. We have in-
creased the maximiun allowable weight of mail packages
to eleven pounds, and on January 1, 1913, established a
"collect on delivery" service under which merchants and
others may send goods through the mails and have the
charges thereon collected from the addressee before de-
livery. These are important and valuable extensions of
the service, and greatly benefit the Fihpinos as well as
the merchants by bringing people throughout the islands
into touch with shops from which they can order the goods
they need.
It is difficult to determine the difference in the amounts
of business done under the Spanish and American systems
for the reason that the Spanish figures are in many cases
obviously unrehable. The latest available statistics,
for the fiscal year 1893, show an enormous discrepancy
between the amount of mail matter claimed to have been
transported and the revenue received, which should
theoretically have been about twice as large as seems to
have been collected. It is believed, however, that the
following figures are fairly reliable.
The number of post-offices has increased from four hun-
dred sixty-six to five hundred ninety. It is anticipated
that one hundred fifty additional post-offices will be estab-
IMPRO\'ED MEANS OF COMMUNICATION 863
lished in smaller municipalities and out-of-the-way places
within the present year, and as it is these places are re-
cei\ang postal service through the employment of com-
petent letter-carriers, who are collecting and deUvering
their mails.
Only sixty-five of the Spanish post-offices were in
charge of officials employed by the general government.
The remaining four hundred one were looked after in a
way by local municipal officials. All postmasters are now
paid by the general government.
The mails are being carried with much greater frequency
than ever before. Durmg the last j-ear there were 273
contract routes on wliich mails were carried a total of
873,957 miles at a cost of S40,440.75.
So far as can be judged from the figures available the
mails despatched from the islands during the fiscal year
1912 were about five times those annually despatched
during the late years of the Spanish regime.
In 1893 nine parcel post packages were sent to foreign
countries. In 1912, 2640 such parcels went abroad.
In 1893 the number of registered articles transmitted
between Pliilippine post-offices was 29,078. In 1912
it was 535,137. The increased use of newspapers is
shown by the fact that in 1893 the weight of the news-
papers mailed for delivery within the Philippmes was
121 ,070 pounds, while in 1912 it was 687,568 pounds. This
difference is no doubt largely due to the severe restrictions
imposed on the press under the Spanish regime as com-
pared with the freedom which it enjoys to-day.
The Spanish postal administration paid little attention
to complaints by Fihpinos relative to . losses of articles
transmitted through the mails. Now the most trivial
complaint is painstakingly investigated, and only in rare
cases is there failure to recover the value of lost or stolen
articles from the postal employee responsible. The
sanctity of the mails which now prevails is an important
factor in the increased use which the people make of them.
864 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
It is claimed that under the Spanish regime few matters
of importance were intrusted to the mails by Filipinos
because their letters were so frequently opened and in-
spected by government officials.
The Spaniards had four subsiiUzed mail routes after
1897. We have nine subsidized routes, and six others
which are maintained wholly at government expense by
the Bureau of Navigation.
The Spanish government provided no postal money-
order service whatever, and the transmission of money
by mail with safety was impossible. We have 265 money-
order post-offices and during 1912 issued 160,524 money-
orders payable in the islands, the total sum of which was
$5,592,205.85. We also issued 68,229 orders amounting
to $1,764,608.02 payable in the United States, and 2607
orders amounting to $68,364.83 payable in other countries.
These amounts were transmitted largely by Filipinos,
who now do a considerable mail order business with mer-
chants in the United States.
A further great convenience not furnished by the Span-
ish government is the pajTnent of money-orders trans-
mitted by telegraph. During the last fiscal year there
were forwarded 8333 such orders, covering payments
amounting to $1,128,229.79.
The improvement in the telegraph service has been
quite as marked as that in the mail service. In 1897
there were only 65 telegraph offices in the islands, 49 of
which were on the island of Luzon, 9 on Panay, 4 on
Negros and 3 on Cebu. The total length of all telegraph
lines was some 1750 miles. There were no cables or other
means of telegraphic communication between the islands.
Practically all of the old lines were destroyed during
the revolution wliich began in 1896, so that the lines now
existing must be considered as having been built since the
American occupation. There are 282 telegraph offices
with 4781 miles of land line and in addition 1362 miles
of marine cable and 7 wireless stations in operation.
IMPROVED MEANS OF COMMUNICATION 865
Every provincial capital, with the exception of Basco in
the remote Batanes Islands, and Butuan in Agusan
Province, now has telegraphic facilities as does almost
every other place of commercial importance in the Pliilip-
pines. The advantage of prompt telegraphic communi-
cation with such oxitlying points as Puerto Princesa,
Jolo, Zamboanga, Davao, Suriago and the east coast of
Samar is enormous, while the extension of the cable ser-
vice to Catanduanes has been a great boon to the hemp
growers of that island. The latest available figures rel-
ative to the telegrapliic business conducted by the Span-
iards are for the year 1889, during the second six months
of which there were handled 33,697 coimnercial telegrams.
During the fiscal year 1912 our business of the same class
reached a total of 496,643 telegrams. Tliis class of busi-
ness has been increasing from 25 to 30 per cent yearly for
several years.
The expenditures of the Spanish government for all
postal and telegraphic service for the fiscal year 1895
amounted to $484,960.50. Those of the Bureau of Posts
for 1912 were $1,072,684.48. No statement of the Span-
ish revenues can be found. Our revenues for 1912 were
$627,724.70. The personnel of the Spanish service for
1895 shows only 31 positions paying salaries of more than
$500 per year, most of which were filled by Spaniards.
There are now 96 positions paying salaries of more than
$500 per year filled by Filipinos. Filipino post-office
employees receive salaries 50 to 100 per cent larger than
those of employees of similar rank during the Spanish
regime. Think how much these figiu'es mean in increased
opportunity for employment of Filipinos, and m increased
communication not only between the people in the islands
but between them and the outside world.
In a number of instances the telegraph lines which are
controlled by the Bureau of Posts are supplemented by
provincial telephone systems, which are of great value in
maintaining quick communication with towns not reached
866
THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
by telegraph wires. Such Hnes are especially useful in
the Mountain Province, Mindoro, Palawan, Nueva
Vizcaya, and the sub-province of Bukidnon, where mes-
sengers who travel by land have to go on horseback or on
foot.
The following table shows the growth of the postal and
telegraph business of the Islands : —
Post-Office and Telegraph Statistics
Monet Orders Sold
Postage
Receipts
Telegraph Receipts
Fiscal Yeae
Amount
Increase
(+) or .
decrease
(-)
Amount
Increase
C+)or
decrease
(-)
1900
$1,526,310
1,514,435
1,854,927
2,842,587
3,102,606
3,444,053
3,687,127
3,229,446
3,645,123
4,008,678
4,890,835
6,132,582
7,425,173
8,272,858
Per cent
- i"
+22
+53
+ 9
+ 11
+ 7
-12
+ 13
+ 10
+22
+25
+21
+ 6
$117,848
122,833
126,375
132,445
121,714
121,648
198,583
198,546
220,306
245,482
282,317
313,549
349,407
380,942
1901
1902
1903
1904
1905
1906
1907
1908
1909
1910'
1911
1912
19132
■$56,351
118,360
136,138
139,208
168,402
184,555
236,679
283,306
+iid
+ 15
+ 2
+ 21
+ 9
+ 28
+ 4
As I have elsewhere remarked, the Philippines have a
coast line longer than that of the continental United
States. A very large percentage of the municipalities
are situated on, or close to, the sea and the maintenance
of adequate marine transportation is therefore a matter
of vital miportance to the peace and commercial pros-
' First year for which statistics are available.
- Twice the actual figures for the first half of the year : $3,942,647 ;
$194,296; $123,339.
' First year after Payne TariS Bill took effect.
IMPROVED MEANS OF COMMUNICATION 867
perity of the archipelago. In the early days of American
occupation conditions were most unsatisfactory. Most
of the boats in the coastwise trade were antiquated, foul
and had no decent facilities for transporting passengers.
As the number of vessels was too small to handle the busi-
ness of the country, ship-owoiers occupied a very indepen-
dent position. The freight rates on such things as lumber
and currency were practically prohibitive. It was a
common thing for vessels to refuse to receive hemp, sugar
and perishable products that had been brought to the
beach for shipment, giving as an excuse the fact that
they were employed in the private business of Messrs.
Smith, Bell & Co., Warner, Barnes & Co., or whoever
happened to own them, and could not transport freight
for the public as the volume of their private business would
not permit it. However, if the owners of the freight were
willing to sell it to the ships' officers for a fraction of its
value, they encountered no difficulty in transporting it !
Furthermore, there existed the danger of Moro raids,
the necessity for checking the operations of smugglers,
and that of preventing the ingress of firearms, which in
the hands of irresponsible persons might cause great
damage and expense to the government and the pubhc.
In view of these facts it was decided to establish a fleet
of twenty coast-guard vessels, which were not only to
do pohce duty and to assist in the transportation of troops,
but were to carry freight and passengers when opportunity
offered. Fifteen such vessels were ordered from Messrs.
Farnham, Boyd & Co., of Shanghai, and five from the
Uraga Dock Company of Japan. The Japanese vessels
proved unsatisfactory, and only two were accepted, mak-
ing the total fleet seventeen. As the condition of public
order improved the coast-guard boats became available
to a constantly increasing extent for cormnercial service.
Prior to July, 1906, there were practically no established
steamship routes over which conmiercial vessels operated
on regular schedules. With the exception of the service
868 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
between Manila, Cebii and Iloilo, vessels traded here
and there without regular ports of call or fixed dates of
arrival or departure. The policy which guided their
owners was one of privilege and monopoly, and by agree-
ment between them competition was rigidly excluded.
Trade was discouraged and the commercial development
of the islands seriously retarded.
In accordance with a plan formulated by Mr. Forbes,
then secretary of commerce and police, the coast-guard
vessels were placed on regular commercial routes and were
operated on schedules which gave efficient service to all
important islands of the archipelago. Ten routes were
maintained and many isolated points, and small towns or
villages which offered so little business at the outset as
to make them unprofitable, and therefore unattractive
as ports of call for commercial vessels, were put in close
communication with the larger towns and distributing
centres, so that the small planters could market their prod-
ucts with little trouble. This promptly led to increased
production and trade, and greater prosperity through the
islands.
Business increased to such an extent that in July, 1906,
it proved practicable to withdraw the government vessels
and turn these routes over to commercial firms which
entered into a definite contract with the government to
maintain an adequate service. Their vessels were allowed
substantial subsidies, amounting in the aggregate to
$100,000 per year, in order to assure the prompt despatch
of mail, adherence to schedule, and efficient service. The
ten old coast-guard routes were divided into fourteen new
conunercial routes which gave excellent service to all parts
of the islands.
Secondary routes were then arranged and coast-guard
cutters were placed on them. A number of these were in
turn given over to commercial vessels after they had
developed enough trade to be commercially profitable.
Three such routes are now maintained by the Bureau of
'inE VIA) Way of (kossixg a River.
The New Way of Crossing a River.
IMPROVED MEANS OF COMMUNICATION 869
Navigation, and it is planned to establish two more in the
near future.
The importance of the change thus brought about by
the government in transportation facilities can be ap-
preciated only by those who have had actual experience
with the intolerable state of affairs which previously existed.
Meanwhile conditions on the inter-island steamers have
been enormously improved by the enforcement of proper
sanitary regulations, and insistence that staterooms be
decent and food reasonably good.
Of the original cutters two were for a long time under
charter by the military authorities for use as despatch
boats and transports ; two are employed as lighthouse
tenders, and two have been assigned to the Bureau of
Coast Surveys for coast and geodetic work ; one collects
lepers and takes them to the Leper Colony at Culion.
The cable-ship Rizal, operated by the Bureau of Naviga-
tion, has succeeded in repairing and keeping in repair
the marine cables throughout the islands. Such cables
are especially subject to injury in Philippine waters on
account of the strength of the currents between the islands,
the frequency with which stretches of sea bottom are over-
grown with sharp coral, and the common occurrence of
earthquakes. When not otherwise engaged the Rizal
carries conmiercial cargoes if opportunity offers. She
has proved useful for bringing in rice when a shortage of
this commodity, which is the bread of the Filipino people,
threatened, and for handling cargoes of lumber of sizes
such that regular inter-island steamers could not load it.
In addition to the vessels above mentioned, the Bureau
of Navigation owns and operates a fleet of launches, some
of which are seagoing, and a number of dredges which are
employed in improving the harbours and rivers of the isl-
ands as funds permit. The bureau also owns and oper-
ates its own machine shop and marine railway, and repairs
its own vessels.
A section of the machine shop is set aside for lighthouse
VOL. II — 2 b
870 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
work, and in it lighthouse apparatus of every description
is fabricated and repaired. While lighthouses and buoys
are not means of communication they are aids to it.
The thousand and ninety-five inhabited islands and ap-
proximately two hundred and fifty ports of varying im-
portance, depending as they do entirely upon water trans-
portation for communication with each other and with the
outside world, had no wharfage whatever available for
large vessels, and no publicly owned wharfage within ten
yards of which even the larger inter-island steamers could be
berthed. Manila had no protected anchorage, and during
the season of southwest monsoons and typhoons vessels
were sometimes compelled to lie in the harbour for weeks
before they could unload, a fact which gave the port a
deservedly bad name.
The Spaniards had commenced harbour work at Manila
in 1892, twenty-five years after preliminary study began
and sixteen years after prospective plans had been sub-
mitted. Their operations were stopped by the insurrec-
tion in 1896, at wliich time the present west breakwater
had been about half completed, but as the completed por-
tion was at the shore end and in shallow water it afforded
no protection to ships. There had been constructed
twenty-four hundred feet of masonry wall partly enclos-
ing one of the basins provided for in the Spanish plans,
and fourteen hundred eighty-five feet of wall fining canals
connecting the proposed new harbour with the Pasig River.
These also were temporarily useless, because there had been
no dredging in front of them, or backfilling in their rear.
Outside of Manila practically nothing had been done
to facilitate the loading and discharge of vessels, or to
protect them from the elements.
We now have at Manila a deep-water harbour dredged
to a uniform depth of thirty feet and enclosed by two
breakwaters having a total length of nearly eleven thou-
sand five hundred feet. Two hundi'ed and sixty-one acres
of land have been reclaimed with the dredged material.
J
IMPROVED MEANS OF COMMUNICATION 871
Two steel piers extend from the filled land into the deep-
water harbour. One of these is six hundred fifty feet long
and one hundi-ed ten feet wide, the other six hundred feet
long and seventy feet wide. Both are housed in, the
sheds covering them having a total area of ninety-two
thousand square feet. These piers and sheds are prac-
tically fireproof, and the largest ocean-going steamers on
the Pacific can he alongside them. Additional work
planned, which should be undertaken when funds permit,
includes two more piers ; and bulkheads to connect the
inner ends of the present piers, so as to give inter-island
steamers opportunity to unload.
At Cebii the sea-wall has been completed to a length
of two thousand sixty feet and the channel in front of
it dredged in part to ten and a half and in part to
twenty-three feet at low water. Some ten and a half
acres of land have been reclaimed with the material re-
moved. Streets and roadways have been built on the
reclaimed area, and a wharf eight hunch-ed twelve feet
in length, designed as an extension to the wall, is now
fifty per cent completed. The harbour at Cebii should
ultimately be dredged so as to give thirty feet of water
along the piers.
At Iloilo the dredging of a fifteen-foot channel up to the
custom-house was completed in March, 1907. Seven
hundred and eighty-three feet of river wall and twelve
hundred ninety feet of reenforced concrete wharf, both
to accommodate vessels of eighteen feet di-aft at low
water, have been built along the south bank of the middle
reach of the river. The lower reach has been dredged to
twenty-fom- feet at low water, the middle reach to eighteen
feet and the upper reach to fifteen feet, while two hun-
dred ten thousand square metres of land have been re-
claimed and two hundred six thousand improved with
the dredged material. Wharves for ocean-going steamers
should ultimately be constructed at this important port.
At Paracale, in Ambos Camarines, a reenforced concrete
872 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
pier four hundred ninety feet in length has been built.
It extends out to a depth of fifteen feet at low water.
At Bais, Negros, a timber pier for vessels of sixteen
feet draft, with a stone causeway approach a mile and
a half in length, and a warehouse for the temporary stor-
age of sugar, have been constructed.
Channels have been blasted through the coral reefs
surrounding the islands Batan, Sabtang and Itbayat in
the Batanes group, where the annual loss of life had pre-
viously been great, owing to the occurrence of sudden
storms which often made it impossible for people to re-
turn to their towns through the sm-f. The port of Pandan,
in Ilocos Sur, has been improved by means of a stone
revetment twenty-nine hundred seventy-five feet in length
along the north bank of the Abra River, thus maintain-
ing the channel in one position and affording vastly
better means of loading and discharging cargo for the
important town of Vigan. A self-propelhng combina-
tion snag boat, pile driver and dredge for the improve-
ment of the great Cagayan River has been built, and is
now in operation on that stream.
Very numerous other works of repair and construction
have been carried out. Some 80 surveys have been made
in minor ports to determine the feasibility of improve-
ments, and in many cases plans have been prepared for
proposed work.
The Spaniards had devoted much time and study to a
project for coast illumination. At the outbreak of the in-
surrection in 1896 they had twenty-eight lights, fourteen
of which were flashing and fourteen fixed minor lights,
while fovu- additional stations were under construction.
Then all work was stopped, and when systematic in-
spection was made by American lighthouse engineers five
years later, extensive repairs were found to be necessary.
The repairs were made as promptly as possible, and new
construction then began. To-day there are a hundred
forty-five lights in operation, and the waters of the PhiUp-
IMPROVED MEANS OF COMMUNICATION
873
pines are among the best lighted in the world. One
hundred and eleven buoys of various classes axe being
maintained.
The following table shows the progress made in the
construction of lighthouses : —
Fiscal Yeah
Light-
houses IN
Operation
Fiscal Year
Light-
houses IN
Operation
1
Fiscal Year
LlOHT-
HOnSES IN
Opebation
1902 ....
57
1906 . . .
105
1910 . . .
143
1903 ....
66
1907 . . .
117
1911 . . .
142
1904 ....
76
1908 . . .
129
1912 . . .
146
1905 ....
89
1909 . . .
139
1913». . .
145
In all nearly $7,000,000 have been expended in the
improvement of ports and harbours, and about $750,000
in the construction of hghts.
At the time of the American occupation, knowledge of
the waters of the archipelago was in a most unsatisfactory
state. There was not even an accurate chart of Manila
Bay. Navigating officers followed certain well-known
trade routes which experience had shown to be safe, but
did not dare to leave them. Uncharted dangers were
soon discovered at IloUo and in other important ports,
and the necessity for a systematic survey of the waters
became immediatel}' apparent.
On September 6, 1901, the Bm-eau of Coast and Geodetic
Surveys was organized. The work is conducted under a
joint agi'eement such that it is supervised by the superin-
tendent of coast and geodetic surveys at Washington,
who is represented in the Phihppines by an officer called
the director of coast surveys. The' latter reports to
the head of the insular government so far as concerns
the expenditure of funds furnished by that government,
which has the power of approval over his assignment to
duty. There is a division of expenses between the two
' On March 1, 1913.
874
THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
governments. The United States has paid approximately
fifty-five per cent of the total cost, and the insular govern-
ment has paid the balance.
The Bureau is engaged in a systematic survey of the
coasts, harbours and waters of the Philippine Islands and
of the topography of the shore-line. It determines posi-
tions astronomically and by triangulation, investigates
reported dangers to navigation, and observes tides, cur-
rents and the magnetic elements. Five steamers are now
engaged in this very important work. It is estimated
that fifty-four per cent of the surveys of the coast and
adjacent waters have already been completed. When one
remembers that the coast-line of the Philippines is longer
than that of the continental United States, one reaUzes that
this is a remarkable achievement.
The Bureau has pubhshed one hundred twenty-four
charts covering the entire boundaries of the islands, and
six volumes of sailing du'ections which are kept constantly
up to date by additions whenever new facts of importance
to mariners are ascertained. The greater part of the in-
formation thus made available represents results obtained
by the Bureau, but these are supplemented by the most
reliable data that can be obtained from other sources.
The following table shows the number of miles of coast
surveyed at the end of each year, beginning with 1901 : —
Number of Miles of Coast Surveyed
Fiscal Year
Miles
Fiscal Yeah
Miles
1901
89
1908
6,109
1902
576
1909
7,126
1903 . •
1,208
1910
8,763
1904
1,921
1911
9.992
1905
2,415
1912
11,308
1906
3,041
19131
11,748
1907
4,536
1 On January 1, 1913 ; , increase of six months only.
IMPROVED MEANS OF COMMUNICATION
875
Not only have all important waterways through the
islands been surveyed and hghted, but travel and the
transportation of merchandise on land have been enor-
mously facilitated by the construction of additional rail-
ways and of a system of first-, second- and third-class roads
and of trails.
Prior to 1907 the only railroad Line in operation in the
Philippines was the so-called Manila-Dagupan Railway,
which was 122 miles long.
The following table shows the steady increase in mileage
since that time and also the steady increase in railroad
earnings : —
Railroad Statistics
Fiscal >
'ear
Total
Mileage
IN Opera-
tion
Earnings of
Philippine
Railway
Co., Amount
Inckeaoe
Calendar
Year
Earnings of Manila
Railway Co.
Amount
Increase
19071
1908 .
1909 .
1910 .
1911 .
1912 .
1913 .
122
221
290
400
455
599
611'
$74,815 =
118,646
142,888
386,970
. . .
59
20
171
1907
1908
1909
1910
1911
1912
$25,823
961,936
1,023,812
1,233.794
1,919,244
2,304,436
'l6 '
6
21
56
20
The north line of the Manila Railroad Company, which
is the successor to the Manila and Dagupan Railway
Company, now extends to Bauaug in the province of La
Union. It has laterals terminating at Camp One, on the
1 Only railroad line in operation prior to 1907 was 122 miles of the
main line of the Manila Railroad Company.
* First year of operation.
' On February 1, 1913 ; increase of six months only.
* The Philippine Railway Company has recently changed its ac-
counting from the basis of the Government fiscal year (beginning July
1) to a calendar year basis. Figures are not therefore available for
a complete twelve months subsequent to June 30, 1912. The figure
for the first year on the new basis (ending December 31, 1912, and
dupUeating part of the last amount given above) is $376,512.
876
THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
Benguet Road ; Resales in Pangasinan ; Mangaldang in
Pangasinan ; CabanatuaninNuevaEcija; CampStotens-
berg in Pampanga ; Florida Blanca in Pampanga ; Mon-
talban in Rizal, and Antipolo in Rizal.
The main south line of this road extends from Manila
to Lucena in Tayabas. It has branches to Cavite in the
province of the same name ; to Naic in Cavite ; to Pag-
sanjan in La Laguna, and to Batangas in the Province of
Batangas.
The Philippine Railway Company has built and is now
operating a line on Panay which extends from Iloilo to
Capiz, and a line on Cebii which extends north from the
city of the same name to Danao and south to Argao.
The development of the road system is even more im-
portant than that of railroads.
The following tables show the mileage of first-, second-
and third-class road, and the total number of permanent
bridges and culverts, in existence at the end of each year,
beginning with 1907 : —
Public Works Statistics
Total Mileage of Roads in Existence
Fiscal Year
First-class
Roads
Increase
Second-class
Roads
Third-class
Roads
1907
1908
1909
1910
1911
1912
1913'
303 »
423
609
764
987
1,143
1,187 '
Per Cent
40
44
25
29
16
6411
664
1,342.P
1,305.3
2,074 1
1,837
1,999
1,967
' No accurate statistics before 1907 and 1910, respectively.
' Increase clue to change in definition.
' On January 1, 1913.
* Increase of six months only.
IMPROVED MEANS OF COMMUNICATION
877
Fiscal Year
Total of Permanent
Bridges and Cul-
verts IN Existence
Fiscal Year
Total op Permanent
Bridges and Cul-
verts IN Existence
Number
Per Cent
Number
Per Cent
1907' . . .
1908. . . .
1909. . . .
1910. . . .
3,280'
3,631
3,865
4,372
11
6
13
1911 . . .
1912 . . .
1913 . . .
4,842
5,181
5,660
11
7
9
The old Spanish road system was quite extensive and
very well planned, but the amount of really good construc-
tion was very limited. The system of maintenance was
faulty, and the abandonment of maintenance during the
insurrection against Spain and the war with the United
States resulted in the almost complete destruction of
many roads which were in fairly good condition at the
time pubhc order became seriously disturbed. The total
value of Spanish work on existing roads is estimated at
$1,800,000. The total value of all American work up to
June 30, 1911, is estimated at $6,100,000.
The imperative need of better highways throughout
the islands was brought home by the difficulties encoun-
tered by the army during the insurrection, and the first
act of the Phihppine Commission, passed on the twelfth
day after the comnussion became the legislative body of
the islands, appropriated $1,000,000 ($2,000,000 Mexican)
for the construction and repair of highways and bridges.
Much of this money was very advantageously expended
by the military, who contributed a large amount of trans-
portation free of cost. Unfortunately, while the necessity
for roads was at this time fully appreciated, there was
failure to appreciate the extraordinary rapidity with
which tropical rains and vegetation destroy good roads in
the Philippines. We further failed to appreciate the ab-
solute indifference of the Filipinos themselves as to whether
roads once built are or are not maintained.
' No accurate statistics before 1907.
878 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
One of the first large pieces of work undertaken was a
road from Calamba on the Laguna de Bay to Lipa, an
important town in the province of Batangas, and thence
to the town of Batangas itself. This road ran for its en-
tire extent through a rich agricultural district. I passed
over it when the dirt work had all been completed,
and when all but two short stretches were surfaced. I
certainly had vigorously impressed upon me the ne-
cessity of surfacing. Over that portion of the road
which had been so treated an automobile could have
been di-iven at sixty miles an hour. Over the remainder
of it, built by the same engineer, shaped up in the same
way, and as good a dirt road as could be constructed, four
mules could not haul the ambulance in which we were
riding without our assistance. We had to get out and
literally put our shoulders to the wheel, or tug at the spokes,
in order to enable the faitliful beasts to extricate the am-
bulance from the morasses into which the two unsurfaced
stretches had been converted.
Needless to say, the surfacing was completed as soon as
possible, and then came what the Filipinos call a great
desengaho} I venture to say that from the time the
road was finished until it was completely destroj^ed there
was never a shovelful of dirt nor a basketful of gravel
placed upon it. In 190S I attempted to drive over it in
one of the two-wheeled rigs known as carromatas, which
will go almost anj-where. I was upset twice in as many
miles and gave up the attempt.
For a considerable time the destruction of roads almost
kept pace with their construction, and until 1907 the small
amount of provincial funds available usually resulted in
failure to attempt repans until both surfacing and founda-
tion had been badly injured or destroyed. The remnants
of old Spanish roads still existing, and the new roads con-
structed by Americans, were in danger of being wiped out.
It was then decided that further insular aid for road con-
' Literally "disillusion."
A Typical Old-style Bridge.
A Typical Reenfohced Concrete Bridge.
IMPROVED MEANS OF COMMUNICATION 879
struction should not be given until the indifference of
provincial officials could be overcome, and funds provided
for proper maintenance. It was further decided that
roads and bridges should be considered as on a basis
similar to that of other government property, and that
maintenance must take precedence over new construction.
Regulations providing for it were outlmed and incorpo-
rated in a proposed resolution which was submitted to the
several provincial boards with the information that further
insular funds would not be appropriated for any province
until its board passed this resolution, thereby agreeing
to provide road and bridge funds by means of the so-
called double cedula tax, and perpetually to maintain the
heavily surfaced roads then in existence within its hmits.
The cedula tax is an annual personal or poll tax. The
amount originally fixed by the commission was one peso,
but legislation was subsequently enacted empowering
provincial boards to increase it to two pesos, the additional
amount to go for road and bridge work.
Most of the provinces promptly took the suggested
action, and the few which at first stood out were soon com-
pelled by popular opinion to follow suit. It is not too
much to say that real progress in permanent road and
bridge construction in the Phihppines dates from 1907
when the present regulation relative to maintenance was
put into effect.
Provision was made for a yearly provincial maintenance
appropriation of not less than $282 per mile of duly desig-
nated road. Stone kilometer posts were erected beside all
improved roads.
During the rainy season one caminero, or roadman, is
stationed on each kilometer section. During the dry
season one caminero cares for a two-kilometer section.
These men are constantly at work cutting the encroaching
vegetation from the lateral banks, keeping drams clear,
and immediately filling depressions in the road-bed as
they appear, using for the purpose material stored in
880 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
specially constructed bins placed at regular intervals
and kept filled with broken stone and gravel. Heavy
repair work which may be necessary after great typhoons
or floods must be specially provided for.
The inspection of each kilometer of road is made as
follows : daily, by the sub-foreman ; bi-weekly, by the
foreman ; monthly, by the district engineer ; and tri-
monthly by the division engineer.
Under this system, in spite of unfavourable climatic
conditions the reconstructed or newly constructed Philip-
pine roads are to-day maintained far better than are most
of the roads in the United States, and one may drive auto-
mobiles over them at top speed. Numerous freight and
passenger automobile lines have already been established.
The average present cost of constructing heavily sur-
faced roads, including bridges which are apt to be numer-
ous and expensive, is $8250 per mile.
Only first-class bridges, of concrete, masonry or steel,
are permitted on main roads in the lowlands. Arbitrary
enforcement of this rule is the one thing about the present
road system which in my opinion affords grounds for
legitimate criticism.
Wliile no one can dispute the wisdom of constructing
bridges of hard materials whenever this can be done, it is
possible to carry too far the poUcy of limiting construction
to such materials, and in my opinion it has been carried
too far in a number of instances.
Years ago a good automobile road was constructed from
Cagayan de Misamis to and beyond the barrio of Agusan,
which is the point of departure for the main trail into the
sub-province of Bukidnon. Numerous small streams on
this road were bridged with reenf orced concrete, but proper
allowance was not made for their terrific rise during heavy
rains in the highlands and almost without exception the
bridges were destroyed during the first severe typhoon.
Funds are not yet available for their reconstruction with
strong materials. Meanwhile nothing has been done. The
IMPROVED MEANS OF COMMUNICATION 881
road is therefore impassable during hea\'y rains, as the
streams cannot then be forded. Meanwhile, our "tem-
porary" wooden bridges on the connecting trail system,
constructed before the bridges on the coast road were
built, remain intact, and render it possible always to cross
streams much larger than any of those which intersect the
coast road.
Of course if the hard and fast rule governing bridge con-
struction in the lowlands is once departed from, its en-
forcement may become difficult. Nevertheless, I am of
the opinion that existing regulations should be so modified
as to authorize and encourage the construction of tem-
porary bridges m such cases as that above cited.
The enormous change which road construction has pro-
duced in ease of travel, and in reduced cost of transporting
farm products, cannot be appreciated bj^ one unfamiliar
with conditions in Spanish days. Then the ordinary
country road was a narrow ditch sloping in on both sides
toward the bottom, this condition being brought about
by failure to provide proper drainage so that there was
tremendous erosion during the rainy season, at which
time these so-called roads became converted into deep
quagmires by the action of very narrow-tired solid wooden
cart wheels, most of which were fixed upon their axles.
It was not unusual to see carts in mud up to their bodies,
seeming to float on it while being pulled by floundering
carabaos. Many of the roads were so bad that wheeled
vehicles could not be used even during the drj' season, and
their place was taken by so-called cangas, or bamboo
sledges, which also caused rapid road destruction. When
all else failed, the Filipino mounted his faithful carabao,
which could swim the unbridged streams if the current
was not too swift, and could successfull}' negotiate deep
quagmires, and thus he journej^ed from place to place,
leaving the transportation of his products until the coming
of the dry season.
The use on improved roads of cangas, and of carts with
882 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
narrow-tired wheels or with wheels fixed on their axles, is
now forbidden by law. The carts permitted to be used
have broad tires that help to smooth the roads instead of
cutting them to pieces.
As already stated, this road system is supplemented in
the wilder parts of the archipelago, so far at least as the
special government provinces are concerned, by a trail
system which is rapidly being extended. The traUs,
which are at first built only wide enough to permit the
passage of horses, are on grades such that they can be
converted into roads by widening and surfacing, and are
gradually widened in connection with the maintenance
work so as to permit the passage, first of narrow-tired carts,
and later of carts of ordmary width. Indeed one such
trail extending from Baguio, in Benguet, to Naguilian,
in the lowlands of the neighbouring province of Union,
has already been sufficiently widened to permit the pas-
sage of automobiles, and the same thing can be done with
any of the others when occasion requires.
It has been most interestmg to note to what an extent
the construction of good roads and trails and the cultiva-
tion of the land in their vicinity have gone hand in hand.
The prosperity of the country has been enormously in-
creased by the carrying out of the present sensible road
pohcy for which Governor-General W. Cameron Forbes
is primarily responsible.
The policy of the Forbes administration contemplated
the steady continuance of road and bridge construction
and maintenance until a complete system, which had been
carefully worked out for the entire archipelago, should
have been finished.
What would result if road and bridge work were turned
over to a Filipino government? Judging from their
absolute failure to maintain any roads until the insular
government assumed control in 1907, and from the pres-
ent neglect of municipalities to care for the sections of
road for which they are responsible, we are justified in
IMPROVED MEANS OF COMMUNICATION 883
saying that new construction would promptly cease;
maintenance would be neglected ; existing roads would
be destroyed ; bridges would be left up in the air by the
destruction of their approaches, and would ultimately
go to pieces, and the whole system would come to rack and
ruin.
To be sure, the FUipino politicians loudly assert that
they are heartily in sympathj'^ with the present road policy
of the government, but this is largely because the securing
of government aid for roads in their respective provinces
increases their popularity with the people, and the prob-
ability that they will be reelected. If it were left for
them to determine whether money should be expended for
this purpose or for some other which would more imme-
diately inure to their private benefit, there can be no two
opinions as to the result.
The continuance of American control for the present
is absolutely essential, if proper means of communication
and aids to navigation are to be estabUshed and main-
tained in the Philippine Islands.
CHAPTER XXXIII
COMMEKCIAL POSSIBILITIES OF THE PHILIPPINES
If the commercial possibilities of any region are to be
attractive to Europeans or Americans, it must have a just
and stable government ; a reasonably healthful climate ;
fairly good means of communication and transportation ;
forest, agricultural, mineral or other wealth, and labour
with which to develop it. Proximity to main lines of
travel and to markets is also an important consideration.
The present ' government of the Philippines is highly
effective and the state of public order leaves little to be
desired. Doubt has been expressed as to the stability
of the existing regune, but it is at the very least safe to
assume that the United States will never withdraw from
the islands without leaving behind a government which
will assure to the residents of the archipelago, foreign and
native, personal safety, just treatment and security of
property rights.
Health conditions are now excellent, and the death rate
among whites at Manila is lower than that in many
European and American cities. If one will only vary the
monotony of the continuous warmth by making an oc-
casional trip to Baguio, and take reasonable precautions
as to food, drink and exercise, there is no reason why one
should not die of old age.
Means of conmiunication by land are now fairly good
and steadily improving. The seas are well lighted and
the main lines of sea travel have been carefully surveyed.
The islands have many beautiful harbors and, as we
have seen, at Manila, Cebu and Iloilo extensive harbour
improvements have already been made. There are no
1 Oct. 1, 1913.
884
COMMERCIAL POSSIBILITIES OF THE PHILIPPINES 885
special difficulties attendant upon the loading or unloading
of ships anywhere in the archipelago. The rapid exten-
sion of highways, and the construction of additional rail-
ways, are faciUtating and cheapening land transportation.
The natural resources of the country are unquestion-
ably vast. I have ab-eady devoted a chapter to the dis-
cussion of the forests and their wealth.
As to the mineral resources, while we have much still
to learn we already know that there are excellent lig-
nite, some coking coal and extensive deposits of high-
grade iron ore and of copper. One flourishing gold
nune is now giving handsome returns, and several others
seem to lack only the capital needed to develop them
on a considerable scale in order to make them pay;
dredges are operating for gold with great success in the
vicinity of Paracale in eastern Luzon, and there are other
gold placer fields m the islands which are worthy of care-
ful investigation. The prospect of obtaining in quantity
a high-grade petroleum with paraffine base rich in low-
boiling constituents is very good.
Difficulties in the way of the development of the mining
industry are to be found in the disturbances of geological
formations which are inevitably met with in volcanic
countries, in the dense tropical vegetation which in many
regions covers everything and renders prospecting diffi-
cult, and in the unevenness of the rainfall which in some
parts of the archipelago results in severe floods at one
season and in the lack of sufficient water to furnish hy-
drauUc power at another. But we are at least free from
the troubles incident to freezing cold, and in my opinion
a prosperous mining industry will ultimately be built up
in the Phihppines.
Agriculture has always been, and will doubtless long
continue to be, the main source of wealth. In the low-
lands may be found conditions of soil and climate favour-
able to the growing of all unportant tropical products.
Owing to the position of the islands with reference to the
VOL. II — 2c
886 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
northeast and southwest monsoons, practically any de-
sired conditions as regard humidity and the distribution
of rainfall can be found. There are regions which have
strongly marked wet and dry seasons, and regions in
which the rainfall is quite uniformly distributed through-
out the year. In some provinces the heaviest rains come
in January, while in others they come in July or August.
The Philippine Weather Bureau has gathered an immense
amount of very valuable rainfall statistics and is con-
stantly adding to its present store of knowledge. Father
Jose Algue, its distinguished director, can always be de-
pended upon to furnish any obtainable information.
But this is not all. We are not confined to tropical
products. In the highlands of Luzon and of Mindanao
practically all the vegetables and many of the grains and
fruits of the temperate zone may be produced.
When well fed, properly directed and paid a reasonable
wage, the Filipino makes a good field labourer. Much of
his so-called laziness is unquestionably due to malnu-
trition. A diet made up largely of rice, especially if
that rice be polished, does not develop a maximum of
physical energy.
When threshing machines were first introduced it was
impossible to get Filipinos to handle the straw. The
work was too strenuous for them. We soon discovered
that by picking fairly strong men, and feeding them plenty
of meat, we could make them able and willing to do it.
Some extraordinary misstatements have been made as
to Manila's position with reference to main lines of travel
and to markets. In this connection Blount says that it is
an out-of-the-way place so far as regards the main travelled
routes across the Pacific,^ and adds that shippers would
' " Of course, the writer did not mention that Manila is an out-of-
the-way place, so far as regards the main-travelled routes across the
Pacific Ocean, and also forgot that, as has been suggested once before,
the carrying trade of the world, and the shippers on which it depends, in
the contest of the nations for the markets of Asia, would never take
to the practice of unloading at Manila by way of rehearsal, before
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COMMERCIAL POSSIBILITIES OF THE PHILIPPINES 887
not take to unloading cargo there before finally discharg-
ing it on the mainland of Asia.
With singular inconsistency he also says that Manila
could never succeed Hongkong as the gateway to
Asia.i
One might almost believe him ignorant of the fact that
Hongkong is an island, separated from the continent of
Asia, and that the very thing which he says would not
happen at Manila, to wit the "unloading by way of re-
hearsal, before finally discharging on the mainland of
Asia," is the thing which has made Hongkong harbour one
of the busiest ports in the world.
Manila has numerous very definite advantages over
Hongkong. Health conditions are vastly better, and
there is far less danger that crews of vessels will become
infected. Ocean going steamers come alongside piers
and unload directly into great sheds which protect goods
during stonns. The pier sheds have direct connection
with the electric railway system of the city, so that freight
can be quickly and cheaply transported under cover.
The Manila breakwater affords excellent protection during
typhoons, whereas Hongkong harbour is periodically swept
by storms which cause great damage to shipping and
very serious loss of life.
Hongkong is a free port, but the construction of bonded
warehouses at IManila for the reception of goods intended
for reshipment would largely make up for the fact that
Manila is a port of entry.
The reply to the claim that IManila is far from markets
and established hues of travel is simple. Look at the
map and compare it with Hongkong !
finally discharging cargo on the mainland of Asia, where the name of
the Ultimate Consumer is legion." — Blount, p. 49.
' " . . . Manila, being quite away from the mainland of Asia, could
never supersede Hongkong as the gateway to the markets of Asia,
since neither shippers nor the carrying trade of the world will ever see
their way to unload cargo at Manila by way of rehearsal before unload-
ing on the mainland ; . . . " — Blount, p. 44.
888 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
Let US now consider more in detail the resources of the
PhiUppines.
The first thing that impresses one who studies their
agriculture is the extremely primitive state of develop-
ment to which it has attained. Rice is the bread of the
people and is produced in large quantities, but as a rule
land is prepared for planting it by ploughing with what is
little better than a crooked stick, which may or may not
have an iron point, and by subsequent puddling with a
muck rake, both instruments being drawn by carabaos.
As the ground cannot be worked in this fashion until the
rains come on, and the young plants should be set in the
ground very shortly thereafter, the period during which
the soil can be prepared is brief, and the amount brought
under cultivation is correspondingly small. Rice is
usually planted in seed beds and transplanted by hand,
the object of this procedure being to give it a start over
the weeds which would otherwise swamp it. It is a
common thing to see a crowd of men, women and children
setting it to the music of a small string band, with which
they keep time. Organizations which have the reputation
of maintaining a rapid rhythm are quite in demand be-
cause of the increased amount of rice set ! Ordinarily,
in the lowlands at least, comparatively little attention is
paid to subsequent weeding, and when harvest time comes
the crop is usually gathered by cutting off the heads one at
a time. Threshing is frequently performed in the open air
on a floor made of clay and carabao dung. Often the grain
is trodden out under the feet of the owners themselves ;
sometimes it is stripped off by drawing the heads between
the teeth of an instrument somewhat resembling an in-
verted iron rake ; again it is beaten off against stones ;
a more advanced method is to drive horses, carabaos or
cattle over the straw until the grain has been loosened
from the straw. The palay ^ is usually winnowed in the
wind, although crude fanning mills are sometimes em-
' Unhusked rice.
COMMERCIAL POSSIBILITIES OF THE PHILIPPINES 889
ployed for this purpose. The threshing takes much time,
and while it is in progress great loss results from the dep-
redations of rats and wild hogs, from unseasonable rain-
storms, and from the carrying off of the grain by the
threshers. A large part of the palay employed for local
domestic use is husked by pounding it in wooden mortars
and winnowed by tossing it in flat baskets. As a result of
such methods the Philippines, which ought to export
rice, are compelled to import it, the figiires for the last
15 years being as follows : —
Rice Imports
Fiscal Years
Tons
(Metric)
Valde
1899
68,389
109,911
178,232
216,403
307,191
329,825
255,502
138,052
112,749
162,174
137,678
184,620
203,083
260,250
179,205
$1,939,122
3,113,423
1900
1901
5,490,958
6,578,481
10,061,323
1902
1903
1904
11,548,814
1905
7,456,738
4,375,500
1906
1907
3,662,493
5,861,256
4,250,223
1908
1909
1910
5,321,962
6,560,630
1911
1912
10 569 949
1913
7,940,857
American influence has already made itself strongly
felt on the rice industry and small steel ploughs, of suitable
size to be drawn by single animals, are coming into very
general use. A steadily increasing amount of rice is
harvested with sickles instead of with small bladed knives.
Modern threshing machines are rapidly discouraging the
employment of the threshing methods of biblical days,
and their operation in the large rice producing regions is
a good business for persons with luxiited capital, as the
890 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
returns are immediate and the investment is small. The
customary toll taken for threshing is one-eighth of the
output.
While under my direction, the Bureau of Agriculture
began the introduction of modern threshing machines.
The amount of grain obtained from a stack of given size
when thoroughly machine-threshed before there had been
time for waste was so much greater than that to which the
Filipinos had been accustomed that they thought that there
must be a deposito of grain hidden away somewhere within
the machine, and insisted on sticking their heads into it in
search of this supposed source of supply !
Many small, mechanically driven hulling machines are
now in use and the number of regular rice mills, with up-
to-date machinery for hulhng and pohshing, steadily and
quite rapidly increases.
The rice industry has at present two great needs : the
first is irrigation, the second, careful seed selection. The
average Filipino depends directly on rainfall for irriga-
tion water, and although there may be a stream close at
hand, he does not trouble to turn it on to his land unless
conditions happen to be exceptionally favourable. The
result is that dry years cause a very heavy, and largely
avoidable, loss to the islands. A dependable supply of
irrigation water would make two crops a certainty where
one is now more or less of a gamble. The insular govern-
ment is spending considerable sums on irrigation work,
and in my opinion it offers a wide field for profitable
private investment.
There are in the Philippines many different varieties
of rice, each with its peculiar advantages and disadvan-
tages. There is no possible doubt as to the opportunity
which lies before the skilled plant breeder to increase the
crop, and shorten the time required for its production, by
the methods which have been so successfully applied to
wheat and other grains.
Finally, in the highlands of Bukidnon, in Mindanao,
COMMERCIAL POSSIBILITIES OF THE PHILIPPINES 891
there are immense areas which can be cultivated and
planted with motor-drawn machinery. After taking off
the first crop it would be readily possible to plough, harrow
and seed in one operation, and here, if anjTvhere, modem
harvesters and threshers can be employed to good ad-
vantage. In short, rice can be growTi in Bukidnon as
wheat is grown in the United States, and the company
which goes into this business on a large scale should make
money.
Abaca, commonly called Manila hemp, was for many
years the most important Phihppine export. The plants
from which it is produced resemble bananas so closely
that the uninitiated cannot distinguish them. They fur-
nish the longest and strongest cordage fibre in the world.
The Pliihppines have practically a monopoly on its pro-
duction. Abacd, culture is carried on in a very primitive
way. The plants require well-drained soil and for this
reason the Filipino often puts them out on steep moun-
tain sides. The forest is felled, the timber is burned on
the ground and the young plants are set before weeds
have time to encroach. The bolo is usually employed for
subsequent "cultivation," which consists in the occa-
sional chopping down of weeds. Fortunately the shade
in an abaca plantation is so deep that it materially im-
pedes the growth of other plants. The fibre is obtained
from the leaf petioles which make up the stem. At the
present time practically all of it is stripped by hand. This
is a slow and tedious process, involving very severe phys-
ical exertion to which the average Filipino is disinclined,
and serious losses often result from inabiUty to get the
crop seasonably stripped. Stripping is greatly facilitated
if the knife under which the fibre bands are drawTi has a
serrated edge, but in that case the fibre is not thoroughly
cleaned, soon loses its original beautiful white colom-, and
diminishes in strength owing to decay of the cellular
matter left attached to it.
The production of high-grade fibre or of comparatively
892 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
worthless stuff is chiefly a matter of good or bad
stripping.
Abaca requires evenly distributed rainfall and constant
high humidity for its best development, and should not
be planted in regions subject to severe drought, which
greatly reduces the crop and may kill the plants outright.
Experience has shown that it richly repays real cultiva-
tion.
The trunks are heavy, and water makes up a large part
of their weight, but they are full of air chambers, float
readily and could be rafted or sluiced to a central cleaning
plant wherever conditions are favourable for so transport-
ing them. The one great desideratum of the industry
is a really good mechanical stripper which will tm'n out
clean, high-grade fibre in large quantity at small cost.
At least one machine has been brought reasonably near
perfection. In my opinion all that is now necessary is
to put a skilled mechanic into the field with it under
service conditions, and keep liim there until such minor
difficulties as remain have been successfully overcome.
Stripping mills could readily be established in regions
like that along the lower Agusan River, where chmate
and soil are ideal and water transportation is always
available. A reasonable number of such plants in suc-
cessful operation would go far toward revolutionizing the
hemp industry, the development of which is at present
greatly handicapped by the production of enormous
quantities of badly cleaned fibre, which does not sell
readily, whereas first-class abaca is without a rival and
always sells at a high price.
The table on the opposite page shows the value and
amount of hemp exports during a period of fifteen years.
Copra, or the dried meat of the coconut, has now be-
come one of the most important exports of the islands,
which lead the world in its production. The table on
the opposite page shows the rapid increase in copra
exports.
Preparing Rice Land for Planting.
I'lanti.ng Kice.
COMMERCIAL POSSIBILITIES OF THE PHILIPPINES 893
Hemp Exports
To United States, inclddino Hawaix
AND I'OHTO KICO
Fiscal
Value in U. S.
Percentage
Value in U. S.
Years
Currency
Total Exports
Currency
1899
59,840
$6,185,293
45.1
23,066
$2,436,169
1900
76,709
11,393,883
52.6
25,764
3,446,141
1901
112,215
14,453,110
34.6
18,158
2,402,867
1902
109,969
15,841,316
58.3
45,527
7,261,459
1903
132,242
21,701,575
54.7
71,654
12,314,312
1904
131,818
21,749,960
58.8
61,887
10,631,591
1905
116,733
22,146,241
59.6
73,351
12,954,515
1906
112,165
19,446,769
59.5
62,045
11,168,226
1907
114,701
21,085,081
61.7
58,389
11,326,864
1908
115,829
17,311,808
52.7
48,814
7,684,000
1909
149,992
15,833,577
51.0
79,210
8,534,288
1910
170,789
17,404,922
43.6
99,305
10,399,397
1911
165,650
16,141,340
40.5
66,545
7,410,373
1912
154,047
16,283,510
32.3
69,574
7,751,489
1913
144,576
23,044,744
43.3
63,715
11,613,943
Copra Exports
To All CotrNTRiES
To United States inclddino Hawaii
AND POHTO Rico
Fiscal
Years
Tons
Value in U. S.
Currency
Percentage
of Total
Exports
Tons
Value in U. S.
Currency
1899
1900
1901
1902
1903
1904
1905
1906
1907
1908
1909
1910
1911
1912
1913
14,047
37,081
52,530
19,687
97,630
54,133
37,557
66,158
49,082
76,420
105,565
115,285
115,602
169,342
113,055
$ 656,870
1,690,897
2,648,305
1,001,656
4,472,679
2,527,019
2,095,352
4,043,115
4,0.53,193
5,461,680
6,657,740
9,153,951
9,899,457
16,514,749
11,647,898
4.7
7.8
10.0
3.6
11.2
7.0
5.6
12.3
11.8
16.6
21.1
22.9
24.9
32.8
21.9
103
61
174
.205
1,110
2,968
4,714
5,538
12,241
24,160
7,460
4,450
9,173
9,231
14,425
108,086
228,565
287,484
447,145
1,030,481
2,,339,144
720,245
894 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
An extraordinary drought, which seems to have ex-
tended thi'oughout the Far East, is largely responsible for
the decrease in exports dm-ing the last fiscal year, its
effect having been felt long after it had passed.
Coconut oil is very extensively used in making high-
grade soaps, and is now also employed in the manufac-
ture of butter and lard substitutes. Their quality is
excellent, they keep well in the tropics, and being non-
animal in their natm^e are not open to the aesthetic or
religious objections wliich some people entertain toward
oleomargarine and true lard. Lard made from coconut
oil is of course especially appreciated in Mohammedan
countries. There is a steady demand for the shredded
coconut used by confectioners. The press-cake which
remains after the oil has been extracted is a valuable
food for fattening animals. A rich, palatable and nu-
tritious "milk, " on which "cream" rises in a most appetiz-
ing manner, is made by wringing out fresh shredded co-
conut in water. Whether or not it can be preserved and
utilized as a commercial product remains to be seen, but
the experiment would be worth trjdng.
Thus far coconut cultivation has been conducted in
a very haphazard way. In fac^, the existing groves are
hai'dly cultivated at all. Nuts or young trees are put
into the ground in whatever fashion seems good to the
individual planter, and are invariably set too closely.
There maybe a httle initial cultivation, but usually nothing
is done except to cut down weeds and brush with a bolo,
and often even this is neglected. The trees, once estab-
lished, are left to shift for themselves, and are soon con-
tending with each other for root space and air. The
owner cuts notches in their bark in order to facilitate
climbing. Water gathers in them and starts decay.
If under such circumstances coconut growing is so
profitable that to-day plantations can hardly be bought
at any price, what will happen when carefully selected
seed nuts are put out at proper intervals and growing
COMMERCIAL POSSIBILITIES OF THE PHILIPPINES 895
trees are given high cultivation? In considering the
profits resulting from coconut culture, estimates are
sometimes based on twenty nuts to the tree per year, while
forty are considered a very hberal allowance. This number
is even now largely exceeded throughout extensive areas
in the Philippines under the unfavourable conditions
above described. The effect of good cultivation can be
determined, in a measure, by the condition of trees which
chance to be so situated that the ground near them is
kept clean. The results of fertilization can be estimated
by observing the condition of trees standing near native
houses. I recently endeavoured to have the nuts on a
series of such trees counted from the ground. This
proved impossible. In fact, it was necessary to cut out a
bunch of nuts in order to make it possible for a climber
to scramble over the great masses of fruit, and get among
the leaves. I therefore bought the nuts on several trees
and had them throwm down. The trees were in a Uttle
Manobo village, and the ground around them was culti-
vated. The two wliich seemed to be bearing most heavily
could not be climbed, as bees had taken possession of them.
The third best tree had three hundred ninety-seven nuts
on it ; the fourth only three hundred twenty-three, but
its output had been reduced by tapping a number of
its blossom stalks for tuba. All the nuts were very large.
The meat from an average specimen was carefully dried
and we found that one hundred fifty-six such nuts would
make a picul of copra. A common estimate of the
average number of nuts required for a picul is three
hundred.
Of the whole number of nuts on these trees a few would
have failed to develop, owing to lack of room, but it is fair
to suppose that the first would have ripened three hundred
fifty nuts and the second two hundred seventy-five. Actual
observation has shown that it takes nuts two hundred
thirty-eight to two hundred fifty-nine days to mature in
Mindanao.
896 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
Coconut trees attain a great age, and a producing plan-
tation in the Agusan valley would be a mine of wealth.
The time required for the trees to come into bearing
varies from five to seven years with differing conditions of
soil and climate, and with the altitude above sea-level. I
have seen individual trees heavily loaded \\'ith nuts at four
and a half years. The owner of a coconut plantation must
wait for his returns, or grow something else meanwhile.
Quick growing catch crops may at first be raised between
the rows if soil conditions are favourable, but it must be
remembered that coconut trees thrive on soil so sandy
that it will produce little else of value. They require
abundant water and plantations should be well open to
the breeze. Such conditions are frequently found along
the seashore, which doubtless explains the belief so com-
mon among natives throughout the tropics that the coco-
nut will not grow where it cannot "hear" or "see" the
sea. The trees do equally well on open inland plains.
They have few eneinies or diseases in the Philippines,
the bud rot which has caused such destruction in other
countries being almost unknown there. They resist
wind storms admirably, and even typhoons seldom up-
root them, but violent gales injure the leaves and blow
down the fruits, thus temporarily checking production.
While coconut growing is profitable on suitable soil
throughout the islands, it can be carried on most safely
to the south of the typhoon belt.
At present practically all Phihppine copra is either
sun-dried or smoked. The latter process hardens the
outer layer of the meat before it is thoroughly dried
within, and also causes the deposit of more or less creo-
sote. The resulting product moulds and decays readily,
and has given Phihppine copra an evil name, but
this will not seriously interfere with the sale of a good
article from the islands, as its quaUty will be readily
determinable.
Until within a very short time the crudest and most
COMMERCIAL POSSIBILITIES OF THE PHILIPPINES 897
antiquated hand machinery has been used in the local
manufacture of coconut oil. Soon after the American
occupation a modern oil mill was estabUshed at Manila.
It prospered until it burned, which it rather promptly
did for the reason that it was constructed of Oregon pine,
which speedily became soaked with coconut oil, and was
ready to flash into flame at the touch of a lighted match
or of a cigarette butt.
A new mill of iron, steel and reenforced concrete has
now been erected. It is equipped with the latest ma-
chinery and labour-saving devices, aud is reported to be
operating on a wide margin of profit.
The market for coconut oil seems to grow more rapidly
than the supply increases. There is abundant room for
more oil mills in the Philippines, especially as the ma-
chinery used in extracting coconut oil is equally well suited
to the milling of castor beans, peanuts and sesamum, all
of which can be produced in any desired quantity.
Modern drying apparatus is just beginning to be im-
ported for copra making.
Sugar and tobacco are the remaining principal agricul-
ture products. Both can be very advantageously grown.
All that has been said relative to primitive methods
in rice, hemp and coconut production can be repeated
with emphasis in discussing sugar culture. The machin-
ery and methods employed might almost be called ante-
diluvian, and it is a wonder that sugar could ever have
been produced at a profit under such conditions as have
prevailed. Deep ploughing was unknown. There was
not an irrigated field of cane in the islands. The most
modern of the estates was equipped with a three-roll
mill, and with some vacuum pans which the owner did
not know how to use. The soil was never fertilized, and
no sugar grower dreamed of employing a chemist. Forty
to sixty per cent of the sugar in the cane was thrown out
in the bagasse, and that extracted was full of dirt and
promptly began to deUquesce.
898 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
Philippine sugar could never have competed success-
fully in the world's market under such conditions.
Fortunately one modern central has already been
established, and several others are in process of construc-
tion. Up-to-date mills could well afford to grind cane
for Filipinos, giving them outright as much sugar as they
had previously been able to extract from it and making
a very handsome profit out of the balance. But as yet
most Filipinos have not learned the benefit of cooperation,
and are too suspicious to contract their crops of cane to a
mill. It follows that inill owners must control, in one
way or another, land enough to produce cane sufficient to
keep their mills in profitable operation. As we have seen
advantage has been taken of this fact by unscrupulous
sugar men in the United States who have secured legis-
lation hmiting the amount of land which corporations
authorized to engage in agriculture may own, with the
deliberate intention of thus cripphng the sugar industry
in the Philippine Islands. It is iniquitous so to handi-
cap an important industry in a colonial dependency,
and this legislation should be stricken from the statute
books.
Fortunately there is no law Umiting the right of in-
dividuals to contract their crops, nor is it apparent that
such a law could be enacted. Furthermore, there is no
law hmiting the amount of land which an individual may
hold, nor is it hkely that any will be passed. It would
therefore seem that while vicious legislation may inter-
fere with the rapid development of the sugar industry
in the Phihppines, it cannot destroy it.
The table on the opposite page shows the amount and
value of sugar exports for the past fifteen years.
It is said that the tobacco wliich now produces the
famous Sumatra wrapper originally came from the Phil-
ippines, which now have to import it. This condition of
things is mainly due to lack of system and care in to-
bacco growing. Seed selection is almost unknown;
COMMERCIAL POSSIBILITIES OF THE PHILIPPINES 899
SUGAB
To All Counthies
To United States, includino Hawaii
AND PoHTO Rico
Fiscal
Qtjaatitv
Value in U. S.
Percentage
Quantity
Value in D. S.
Years
(metric tons)
Currency
Exports
((metric tons)
Currency
1899
57,447
$2,333,851
15.9
2,340
$143,500
1900
78,.306
3,000,-501
12.3
143
21,000
1901
56,582
2,293,058
8.6
2,1.53
93,472
1902
67,795
2,761,4.32
10.0
5,225
293,354
1903
111,647
3,9.55,828
9.9
34,433
1,335,826
1904
75,161
2,668,.507
7.2
11,626
354,144
190.5
113,640
4,977,026
13.4
57,859
2,618,487
1906
125,794
4,863,865
14.8
7,302
260,104
1907
120,289
3,934,460
11.5
6,610
234,074
1908
151,712
5,664,666
17.2
48,476
2,036,697
1909
112,.380
4,373,338
14.0
21,285
881,218
1910
127,717
7,040,690
17.6
94,156
5,495,797
1911
149,376
8,014,.360
20.1
128,926
7,144,755
1912
186,010
10,400,575
20.6
161,783
9,142,833
1913
212,540
9,491,.540
17.8
83,951
3,989,665
worms are not picked ; fertilization is not practiced ; the
system under which each labourer settles on the land,
plants as much or as httle as he pleases, and manages
his crop in his own way, is in vogue, and it is an eloquent
testimonial to the merits of soil and climate that the
tobacco so grown is good for anything.
The domestic consumption of tobacco is very large.
Practically everj' one smokes. Exportations are increas-
ing. The tables on pages nine hundred and nine hun-
dred one wOl give an adequate conception of the recent
growth of the tobacco industry.
Bananas form an important part of the food of the
people, yet there is not such a thing as a real banana
plantation in the islands. The average Fihpino has a
few plants around his house, but with many of them even
this is too much trouble, and thej' prefer to buy the fruit
at a comparatively high price in the local markets. Good
bananas sell readily in Manila at half a dollar a bunch,
900
THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
Table showing the Number of Cigahs removed from Mantj-
FACTORIES for DOMESTIC CONSUMPTION AND FOR ExPORT DUR-
ING THE Past Eight Fiscal Years
CiGABS MaNCTFACTDKED AND
Fiscal Year
Total
ENDED June 30
Conaumed in
Exported
Shipped to
the Philippine
Islands
to Foreign
United
Countries
States
Number
Number
Number
Number
1906 . . .
74,184,537
94,110,336
231,206
168,526,079
1907
79,476,459
117,684,485
82,175
197,243,119
1908
82,986,278
115,738,939
29,570
198,754,787
1909
86,800,520
116,981,434
867,947
204,649,901
1910
89,272,890
109,006,765
87,281,673
285,561,328
1911
96,115,525
104,604,170
27,531,596
228,251,291
1912
109,924,014
104.476,781
70,518,050
284,918,845
1913 . . .
96,193,811
106,563,541
102,894,077
305,651,429
Table showing the Number op Cigarettes removed from Man-
ufactories FOR Domestic Consumption and for Export dur-
ing the Past Eight Fiscal Years
Cigarettes Manufactdeed and
Fiscal Year ended June 30
Consumed in
the Philippine
Islands
Eitported to
Foreign
Countries
Total
1906
1907
1908
1909
1910
1911
1912
1913
Number
3,509,038,750
3,509,999,575
3,774,303,310
4,122,385,209
4,138,647,668
4,058,603,123
4,369,153,048
4,449,340,088
Number
21,062,844
158,349,812
72,387,396
53,250,328
34,859,581
35,425,865
35,776,760
51,431,838
Number
3,530,101,594
3,668,349,387
3,846,690,706
4,175,635,537
4,173,507,249
4,094,028,988
4,404,929,808
4,500,771,926
COMMERCIAL POSSIBILITIES OF THE PHILIPPINES 901
Table showing the Quantity op Smoking Tobacco Exported
DURING Each of the Past Five Fiscal Years
Country to which Exported
Total Exports during the Fiscal Yeab
1909
1910
1911
1912
1913
Canary Islands ....
For consumption on high
seas
France
China
All others
Pounds
33,488
14,490
4,740
2,233
5,082
Pounds
18,547
17,655
6,182
1,586
5,174
Pounds
21,329
22,610
11,334
7,938
25,791
Pounds
28,645
24,488
3,091
6,077
4,151
Pounds
59,454
29,257
11,433
9,569
7,417
Total
60,034
49,145
89,004
66,452
117,130
Table showing the Quantity of Leaf Tobacco Exported
DURING the Calendar Years 1909, 1910, 1911 and 1912
Calendar Yeah
1909
1910
1911
1912
E.xported in the leaf '
To the United States
To other countries
Pounds
13,503
21,218,588
Pounds
12,269
26,469,800
Pounds
4,946
28,354,636
Pounds
93,928
28,041,374
Total ....
21,232,079
26,482,069
28,359,582
28,136,302
and the best varieties bring even a higher price. The
latter may be bought at ten cents a bunch in the Agusan
River valley, where conditions are ideal for their success-
ful cultivation. I recently measured a series of trunks
there which ran from forty inches to four feet in circum-
ference.
' There were also exported 423,877 pounds of cuttings, clippings
and waste during 1910, and 914,630 pounds of the same materials
during 1912.
Note. — All figures given above are for unstemmed leaf.
VOL. 11 — 2d
902 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
There are numerous varieties of bananas in the Pliil-
ippines, and some of them are of unrivalled excellence, but
fruit of uniform quahty is unobtainable, if desired in any
considerable quantity. In the course of a brief morning
visit to the Zamboanga market I have seen fifteen to
twenty different varieties of bananas on sale there, of which
a considerable proportion were full of tannin and fit only
for cooking.
A banana plantation gives returns at the end of a year
from the time of planting, and the fruit ought to be grown
on plantation scale for the markets of Cebii, IloUo, Manila
and Hongkong.
Throughout extensive areas conditions are ideal for
rubber production, and Para, castilloa and ceara trees all
thrive. Those of the latter species reach their most per-
fect development in Bukidnon, where they grow at an
astonishing rate and produce hemispheres of foliage which
look almost solid. A plantation of these trees should be
not only beautiful to look upon but very profitable.
Conditions in the highlands of Luz6n, in the sub-
province of Bukidnon, and in other portions of Mindanao,
are admirably adapted to the production of coffee.
Indeed, one of the few known wild varieties is indigenous
to the PhiHppmes. The coffee at present produced is
grown in violation of every accepted principle of coffee cul-
ture, but is nevertheless excellent in quality, and any sm'-
plus not required for local consumption is eagerly bought
up for shipment to Spain. In Bukidnon the opportunity
for growing coffee upon a large scale is excellent.
There is little doubt that tea could be advantageously
produced in the Philippine highlands, especially in north-
ern Luz6n.
Throughout extensive regions the soil and climate are
ideal for growing cacao, from which is made the chocolate
of commerce. It has numerous insect enemies, and care-
ful scientific cultivation is needed to obtain the best
results.
A Three-year-old Coffee Bush.
Coffee thrives in the highlands of Mindanao, where this photograph was
taken, and in those of Northern Luzon.
COMMERCIAL POSSIBILITIES OF THE PHILIPPINES 903
A determined and very successful effort is being made
by the Bureau of Education to interest the Fihpinos in
raising corn, which is a far better food than is rice. They
are being taught how to grind and cook it for human food,
and its use, which has long been common in islands like
Cebu, Negros, Siquijor and Bohol, is rapidly increasing.
It can be grown to good advantage in the Philippines, and
at existing prices its production upon a commercial scale
for hmnan consumption would be profitable, but there is
another good use to which it can be put. The supply
of fresh pork is not equal to the demand, and there would
be a ready market, at a high price, for a largely increased
amount. Corn-fed hogs are practically unknown in
the islands. They ought not to be.
Both corn and camotes flourish in Bukidnon, where the
former often attains a height of from twelve to eighteen feet
and produces one to fom- ears to the stalk. Here, as else-
where, careful seed selection rapidly increases the crop.
Camotes, planted after the first ploughing, kill out all grass
and weeds, but rapidly impoverish the soU. Planting
camotes on a large scale and close subsequent pasturing of
the land with hogs would leave the soil enriched and in
excellent condition for planting with other crops. A
little corn would put camote-fed hogs in splendid condi-
tion for the market. In this way it would be possible to
raise them inexpensively and on a large scale.
The PhiUppines produce citrus fruits in considerable
variety. Some of the native oranges and lemons are ex-
cellent. No care has as yet ever been given to their cul-
tivation. They are never pruned or sprayed, nor is the
ground around them kept clean. The larger Philippine
towns and cities afford a good market 'for citrus fruits,
and any surplus could be shipped to neighboiu-ing Asiatic
cities. Experiments in budding American varieties on
to the native stock are now in progress.
In many parts of the islands climate and soil are per-
fectly adapted to the production of pineapples, which at
904 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
present usually grow uncared for. One pineapple planta-
tion has already been established, and a factory for
canning the product is under construction. Others will
follow.
Roselle, from the fruit of which is made a jelly equal to
currant jelly in colour, and very similar to it in flavour,
grows luxuriantly and produces heavy crops of fruit.
An excellent fermented drink may be made from its lea\'es
and stems.
Mangos, coimmonly considered to be the best fruit
produced in the islands, can be successfully canned.
Guavas grow wild over extensive areas, and a properly
located factory could produce guava jelly in large quantity.
Briefly, there is every opportunity for the profitable
investment of brains, capital and energy in agricultural
pursuits along a score of difTerent lines. Such invest-
ment would be of immense advantage to the Filipinos
themselves. They are neither original nor naturally
progressive, but they are quick to imitate, and would
follow the example set for them. Their country would
readily support eighty million people, and it has eight
million, so there is still room for a few foreigners.
If rice is the bread of the people, fresh fish is their meat.
Twenty or thirty thousand pounds of fresh fish are sold
daily in Manila, and the supply is inadequate to meet the
demand. A smiilar condition exists in many of the
larger towns throughout the archipelago. Dried fish
is extensively used, and sardines preserved in brine find
a ready sale. They may be taken in immense quantities
in the southern islands at certain seasons. The intelligent
apphcation of modern methods to the taking, preserving
and marketing of fish would give immediate and large
returns.
Rinderpest appeared in the islands in 1888, and from
that time until the estabUshment of civil government
under American rule swept through the archipelago
practically unchecked, causing enormous losses to ag-
COMMERCIAL POSSIBILITIES OF THE PHILIPPINES 905
riculture. For a time it was impossible to plough anything
Like the normal amount of land, because of the lack of
draught animals.
Promptly upon their estabhshment, the Bureau of
Science and the Bureau of Agriculture began a determined
campaign against this the most dangerous pest of cattle.
The fight has never ceased up to the present time.
While the disease is not completely stamped out, its rav-
ages have been reduced to insignificant proportions, and
the natural increase of the surviving animals has re-
habihtated agriculture.
Good draught animals still bring abnormally high
prices. I well remember that in Spanish days an or-
dinary carabao cost $7.50, and an excellent one could be
purchased for $12.50. Similar animals to-day bring from
$50 to $75 each, and in certain districts the best cara-
baos sell for $100 each.
There is still a great shortage of beef cattle. Refrig-
erated meat is imported in large quantities, but many of
the Fihpinos do not like it, and will not buy it unless com-
pelled to do so by the lack of any other.
It has been found impracticable to remedy these con-
ditions by importing Chinese cattle or carabaos for the
reason that cattle disease is prevalent in the regions from
which they would necessarily come, but a way out of the
difficulty has now presented itself. Nellore cattle, one
of the humped breeds of India, belonging to a distinct
race known as zebus, are immune to rinderpest, and do not
suffer from tick fever, which is prevalent throughout the
islands. They flourish in the Phihppines, and do es-
pecially well in Bukidnon.
They are much larger than the Chinese cattle now in
common use, walk faster, are extremely gentle and make
superior draught animals. Their flesh is excellent.
Cattle raising in Mindanao on a large scale is certainly
possible, and offers a most attractive field for investment.
The estabhshment of a great silk-growing industry is
906 THE ; PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
dependent only upon the necessary capital and initiative.
The Bureau of Science has laid the foundation for it by
conclusively demonstrating that silk worms, and the mul-
berry trees on the leaves of which they thrive, flourish
here. Worms have now been grown for six years, and
have never suffered from any disease. Filipina women
and girls, with their deft fingers, would make excellent
help for silk culture. Indeed, the opportunity to en-
gage in it would be a great boon to them in many
parts of the islands where they now lack profitable
employment.
Manufacturing is as yet in its infancy. There are a
number of regions where very cheap power can be had by
hydraulic development. That the Fihpinos make good
factory labourers has been abundantly demonstrated in
existing tobacco factories, a hat factory, a match factory
and a couple of small factories for the manufacture of
tagal braid, ^ all in successful operation. With plenty of
good labour, cheap power and abundant raw materials,
important manufacturing industries should be developed.
I will not discuss at length the possibility of engaging
profitably in trade. Such possibility exists wherever
commodities are bought and sold, and here as elsewhere
profits or losses largely depend on the abilities of individ-
uals. But the question of the trade relations, present
and possible, between the Philippines and the United
States is one of very great importance.
In the next chapter I show the enormous increase in the
total trade of the country since the American occupation,
and the rapid growth of trade with the United States.
Next to rice, cotton goods form the most important
element in the consuming markets of the islands, and the
rapidity with which the United States is gaining control
of this trade is well illustrated in the following table,
showing by years the value of such goods imported since
1904 : —
• Made of Manila hemp, and used for sewing into hats.
-mm
1
in
w^
■■'s
^KS&^:iej5^^ • • - ^?'
K n
o _
a
it
COMMERCIAL POSSIBILITIES OF THE PHILIPPINES 907
Importations of Cotton Cloth
Yeab
United St.^tes
Hawaii and Porto
Rico
All Countries
1904
$278,106
764,990
278,796
1,056,328
604,742
508,229
2,043,000
4,110,837
4,143,067
6,827,082
$4,919,840
6,346,962
6,642,329
8,320,079
7 909 395
1905
1906
1907
1908
1909
6,862,135
8,444,4.53
10,-305,017
9,246,595
11,483,638
1910
1911
1912
1913
Total
Annual average ....
$20,615,177
$80,480,443
$8,048,044
From a proportion of slightly over five per cent of the
total trade in manufactures of cotton in 1904, importa-
tions of the American product have increased until they
supply fifty-nine per cent of the present local demand !
The following table is of especial interest. It shows
in the first column the nature and amount of the total
exports from the United States and in the second the
nature and amount of United States exports to the Phil-
ippine Islands.
To All
COUNTEIES
To Philippine
Islands
Foodstuffs in crude condition, and food
animals
Foodstuffs partly or wholly manufactured .
Crude materials for use in manufacturing .
Manufactiu-es for further use in manufac-
turing
7.48
13.19
30.10
16.84
32.04
.35
2.25
14.39
.42
7 19
Manufactures ready for consiunption . .
Miscellaneous
75.73
.02
Total
100.00
100.00
908
THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
The most profitable class of exports is manufactures
ready for consumption. It forms no less than 75.73 per
cent of the United States exports to the Philippines. The
least profitable exports are crude materials for use in
manufacturing, which make up but fortj^-two hundredths
of one per cent of the total exports to the Philippines.
Tropical and sub-tropical products are constantly in-
creasing in popularity in the United States, which is able
to produce them to so small an extent that although the
classes included in this table comprise nearly forty per
cent of the total United States imports for the year, there
are but two on which duty is levied.
The following table shows the amount and value of
tropical products imported into the United States during
the year ended June 30, 1913 : —
Products
Amount
Value
Cocoa
Coffee
Fibres
Manufactures of fibres
Fruits and nuts . .
Goatskins ....
Gums of various kinds
Rubber
Matting
Vegetable oils . . .
Silk, unmanufactured
Spices
Sugar
Tea
Leaf tobacco . . .
Manufactured tobacco
Cabinet woods . . .
Rattans and reeds . .
140,039,172 lb.
863,130,757 lb.
407,098 T.
45,729,000 T.
214,000,000 lb.
65,225,401 lb.
1,740,041,488 lb.
94,812,800 lb.
67,4.54,745 lb.
$17,389,042
118,963,209
49,075,659
76,972,416
42,622,653
24,790,417
15,138,895
101,.333,158
1,651,813
38,112,883
84,914,717
6,187,136
103,639,823
17,433,688
.35,919,079
6,577,403
8,880,000
1,800,000
$751,401,991
The balance of trade with the more important coun-
tries from which we get these products is heavily against
COMMERCIAL POSSIBILITIES OF THE PHILIPPINES 909
US, as is shown by the following table in which I have
included S'natzerland, not because we get tropical or sub-
tropical products from that country, but because it fur-
nishes us embroideries, etc., which could be very cheaply
produced in the Phihppines. The figures are for the
fiscal year ended June 30, 1913 : —
U. S. Imports
FROM
U. S. Exports to
Balance against
U.S.
Brazil . .
Cuba . .
British E. I
Japan . .
China . .
Switzerland
Mexico . .
Colombia .
Venezuela .
Egypt . .
$120,155,855
126,088,173
116,178,182
91,633,240
39,010,800
23,260,180
77,543,842
15,992,321
10,852,331
19,907,828
$640,622,752
$42,638,467
70,581,154
15,108,956
57,741,815
21,326,834
826,549
54,571,584
7,397,696
5,737,118
1,660,833
$277,591,006
877,517,388
55,507,019
101,069,226
33,891,425
17,683,966
22,433,631
22,972,258
8,594,625
5,115,213
18,246,995
$363,031,746
There is no such relationship with the Phihppines,
which during 1912 imported $20,770,536 worth of mer-
chandise from the United States to offset the $21,619,686
worth shipped to that country.
The Philippines could readily produce all of these
products in quantities sufficient to meet the demands of
the United States if there were proper de^'elopment of the
resources of the islands, which have rich land, good labour
and suitable climate, but lack capital and competent,
skilled supervision.
The situation has been admirably summed up in the
following statement issued some time since by the Manila
Merchants' Association : —
"The Philippines will consume of imported commodities
what they are able to pay for. Their purchasing capacity will
always be measured by their production of export commodities.
There is nothing that they produce, or are adapted to produce,
910 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
that the United States is not at present under the necessity of
buying from foreign countries whose import trade it does not,
and never will, control. Thus it cannot hope for such advan-
tages in other fields yielding tropical products as it already
possesses in these Islands."
The Philippines should furnish the bulk of the tropical
products imported into the United States. The commerce
between the two countries should in the very near
future increase to $100,000,000 per year each way and
should go on increasing more and more rapidly thereafter.
CHAPTER XXXIV
Peace and Prosperity
Unexampled material prosperity has come to the
islands, partly as a result of the establishment of peace,
and the improvement in means of communication ;
partly from a very different cause.
Among other dire calamities which he saj-s have be-
fallen the Philippines Blount includes " tariff-WTought
poverty," ^ and he roundly scores the Congress of the
United States for its attitude toward the suffering
Filipino.
As a simple matter of fact, tariff legislation enacted by
Congress has been the commercial salvation of the islands.
The tariff law of 1909, known as the Payne Bill, was
passed August 5, 1909, and went into effect sixty days
thereafter. In order to make the effect of this act more
apparent, the figures from July 1, 1909, in the following
statistical tables are printed in bold-faced tjT)e. These
tables speak for themselves, very loudly.
Internal-Revenue Statistics
Fiscal Yeab
Total
Collections
Incbeasb
Fiscal Year
Total
Collections
Increase
(+) OB De-
crease (-)
1906 2 . .
1907 . .
1908 . .
1909 . .
§4,434,364
4,729,515
5,542,022
5,871,267
Percent
7
17
6
1910 . .
1911 . .
1912 . .
1913 . .
$7,160,810
7,922,787
8,389,929
9,035,922
Percent
+ 22
+ 11
+ 6
+ 8
' Blount, p. 571. 2 First year for which statistics are available.
911
912
THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
Trade with the United States
Fiscal Year
Imports from the
United States
Exports to the
United States
Total
1899
1900
1901
1902
1903
1904
1905
1906
1907
1908
1909
1910
1911
1912
1913 (at the rate of) .
$1,150,613
1,656,469
2,666,930
4,035,243
3,944,082
4,843,207
5,839,512
4,333,917
5,155,478
5,079,670
4,693,831
10,775,301
19,483,658
20,970,536
26,264,218
$3,540,894
3,635,160
2,572,021
7,871,743
13,863,059
11,102,860
15,678,875
11,580,569
12,082,364
10,332,116
10,154,087
18,703,083
16,716,956
21,619,686
23,573,865
$4,691,507
5,291,629
5,238,951
11,906,986
17,807,141
15,946,067
21,518,387
15,914,486
17,2.37,842
15,411,786
14,847,918
29,478,384
36.200,614
42,390,222
49,838,083 i
Total Trade, including that with the United States
Imports
Exports
Total
CusToais
COLLECTIO.N.-S
Foreign Tonnage
Cleared
Fiscal
Year
Value
In-
crease
(+)or
De-
crease
(-)
Value
In-
crease
(+) or
De-
crease
(-)
Amount
In-
crease
( + ) or
De-
crease
(-)
1899 . .
1900 . .
1901 . .
1902 . .
1903 . .
1904 . .
1905 . .
1906 . .
1907 . .
1908 . .
1909 . .
1910 . .
1911 . .
1912 . .
1913 . .
$13,116,567
20,601,436
30,276,200
32,029,357
32,978,445
33,221,251
30,879,048
25,799.290
28.786;063
30.918,745
27,794,482
37,067.630
49,833,722
54,549.980
56,327,533
Per
Cent
+ 57
+ 47
+ 6
+ 3
+ 1
- 7
-16
+ 12
+ 7
-10
+ 33
+ 34
+ 9
+ 11
$14,640,162
19,821,347
23,222,348
24,544,858
33,150,120
30,226,127
32,355,865
31,918,542
33,721,767
32,829,816
31,044,458
39,717,960
39,778,629
60,319,836
56,683,326
Pa-
Cent
+ 35
+ 17
+ 6
+ 35
- 9
+ 7
- 1
+ 6
- 3
- 5
+ 28
+0.2
+ 26
+ 17
.153,106,380
5,542,289
8,982,813
8,528,938
9,540,706
8,493,868
8,263,444
7,553,206
8,194,708
8,318,020
8..539,098
8,286,073
8,678,810
9.363,296
8,246,026
336,550
636,034
987,094
1,104,968
1,542,200
1,542,138
1,417,396
1,4.55,055
1,293,266
1,464,448
1,392,.333
1,715,268
1,808,308
1,939,079
1,868,811
Per
Cent
+ 89
+ .55
+ 12
+ 40
- 8
+ 3
-11
+ 13
- 5
+ 23
+ 15
+ 7
-41
' Twelve-seveuths of the actual figures for the first seven months
of the year: $15,320,794; $13,751,421; $29,072,215.
PEACE AND PHOSPERITY
913
Fiscal Year
1906
1907
1908
1909
1910
1911
1912
1913
Receipts fkom
Percentage
Tax ox
Business
S 666,996
677,847
643,707
631,877
759,718
885,804
951,775
1,110,000
Amounts op
Business on which
Percentage Tax
IS Collected
5200,098,983
203,354,298
193,112,160
189,563,361
227,915,673
265,741,443
285.532,500
333,000,000
Increase
(+) OR
Decrease
(-)
Per Cent
+ 2
- 5
- 2
+ 20
+ 17
+ 7
+ 17
The Philippine government collects as internal revenue
one-third of one per cent of the gross business done by mer-
chants and manufacturers in the islands. The fiscal year
ending June 30, 1909, was the last before the opening of
free trade with the United States. The figures for the
four subsequent years therefore show the resulting stimu-
lus to business.
The gross business on which the percentage tax was
collected in 1909 was $190,000,000 (P380,000,000). The
increases over that year have been : —
Increases over 1909
Year
United States
Currency
Philippine
Currency
OF Increase
1910
1911
1912
1913
$38,000,000
76,000,000
96,000,000
143,000,000'
P76,000,000
152,000,000
192,000,000
286,000,000
20.0
40.0
50.5
75.3
$353,000,000' JP706,000,000
The gross business increased by a fifth in one year ;
by two-fifths in two years ; by more than a half in three
j^ears ; and by more than three-quarters in four years.
' Estimate based on collections to March, 1913.
914
THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
In the year 1909 the total exports and nnports of the
Phihppine Islands amounted to $59,000,000 ( Pi 18,000,000) .
The increases over that year have been : — ■
iNCBEAfiES OVEK 1909
Percentaob
OF Increase
Year
United States
Currency
Philippine
Currency
1910
1911
1912
1913
$18,000,000
31,000,000
46,000,000
61,000,000^
P36,000,000
62,000,000
92,000,000
122,000,000
30.5
52.5
77.9
103.4
$ 156,000,000
P312,000,000
The total trade increased by nearly one-third in one
year ; by more than a half in two years ; by more than
three-quarters in three years; and more than doubled
in four years.
United States
cubrenct
Philippine
CnRRENCT
Total increase of business as above
Total increase of trade as above . .
$353,000,000
156,000,000
P706 ,000,000
312,000,000
Total increase of business and
trade
$509,000,000
Pl,018,000,000
An attempt has been made to make political capital
out of one of the heavy drops in hemp values. -
1 Estimate made pro rata on the basis of the flgiires for the first
seven months.
^^''It is precisely these Americans, and their business associates
in the United States, who have gotten through Congn'oss the legisla-
tion ■which enables them to give the Filipino just half of what he got
ten years ago for his hemp, and other like legislation, and the Fili-
pinos know it." — Blount, p. 118.
Also the following : —
"Apparently, Messrs. Roosevelt and Taft thought, in 1907, that
granting the Filipinos a little debating society solemnly called a legis-
PEACE AND PROSPERITY 915
It is astonishing how fully Providence sometimes squares
accounts with the falsifier. Whatever may be thought
of the advisability or inadvisability of the hemp duty
rebate, there is no escape from the conclusion that it does
not determine the price of hemp. Wliile it is true that
there has been a time during the past two years when
the hemp grower received half, or less than half, the price
for his product which he obtained ten years ago, it is also
true that during the latter part of this same period he has
received very much higher prices than either he or any
of his ancestors ever before obtained. This apart from
the fact that the price ten years ago was quite abnormal,
due to crop shortage resulting from a bad state of public
order. It is a poor rule that does not work both ways.
If the hemp rebate is responsible for the recent slump in
prices, it must also be responsible for their having later
"kicked the beam."
The facts set forth in the following tables are also signifi-
cant of improved conditions : —
lative body, but -wholly without any real power, was ample compensa-
tion for deserted tobacco and cane plantations, and for the price of
hemp being beaten down below the cost of production by manipula-
tion tlirough an Act of Congi-ess passed for the benefit of American
hemp manufacturers. If we had had a Cleveland in the White House
about that time, he would have "UTitten an essay on taxation without
representation, with the hemp infamy of this Philippine Tariff Act of
1902 as a text, and sent it to Congress as a message demanding the
repeal of the Act. But the good-will of the Hemp Trust is an asset
for the policy of Benevolent Assimilation. The Filipino cannot vote,
and the cordage manufactui-er in the United States can. No conceiv-
able state of economic desolation to which we might reduce the people
of the Philippine Islands being other than a blessing in disguise com-
pared with permitting them to attend to their own affairs after their
own quaint and mutually considerate fashion, the Hemp Trust's rope,
tied into a slip-knot by the Act of 1902, must- not be removed from
their throats. By judicious manipulation of sufficient hemp rope, you
can corral much support for Benevolent Assimilation. Therefore, to
this good hour, the substance of the hemp part of the Philippine Tariff
Act of March 8, 1902, remains upon the statute books of the United
States, to the shame of the nation." — Blount, pp. 614-615.
916
THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
Banking
Fiscal Year
Total Re-
sources OP
Commercial
Banks
Increase
(+)or
Decrease
(-)
Fiscal Year
Total Re-
sources OF
Commercial
Banks
Increase
( + )OR
Decrease
(-)
1906 . . .
1907 . . .
1908 . . .
1909 . . .
$15,351,690
17,054,358
17,454,214
18,138,425
Per Cent
* + ii
+ 2
+ 4
1910 . . .
1911 . . .
1912 . . .
1913 . . .
§22,856,455
24,557,697
35,885,728
31,210,177
Per Cent
+ 26
+ 7
+ 46
-13
Postal Savings B.^nk
Depositors in the
Total Amount Due De-
Fiscal Yeab
Postal Savings Bank
positors at Close of Year
Number
Increase
Amount
Increase
Per Cent
Per Cent
19071
2,331
$254,731
.
1908
5,389
131
515,997
102
1909
8,782
63
724,479
40
1910 .
13,102
49
839,123
16
1911
28,804
120
1,049,737
25
1912
35,802
24
1,194,493
14
1913^
38,076
1,262,189
Coastwise Tonnage Cleared
Fiscal
Year
1899.
1900.
1901.
1902.
1903.
1904.
1905.
1906.
Tonnage
237,852
482,685
676,307
773,243
832,438
905,821
840,504
774,032
Increase
(+) OR
Decrease
(-)
Per Cent
+ 103
+ 40
+ 14
+ 8
+ 9
- 7
Fiscal Year
1907
1008
1909
1910
1911
1912
1913 (.at the rate of)
Tonnage
899,915
978,968
1,045.075
1,053,425
1,303.606
1,362,620
1,262,136 =
Increase
(+) or
Decrease
(-)
Per Cent
+ 16
+ 9
+ 7
+ 1
+24
+ 5
- 7
1 First year of operation.
2 On December 31, 1912; increase of six months only.
' Twelve-sevenths of the actual figure for the first seven months
of the year : 736,246 tons.
PEACE AND PROSPERITY 917
Importations of Coal (Equal Consumption Very Nearly) '
Fiscal Yeab
1899
1900
1901
1902
1903
1904
1905
1906
Metric
Tons (2205
Pounds)
30,812
87,238
126,732
236,332
268,650
295,716
269,666
268,577
Fiscal Yeab
1907
1908
1909
1910
1911
1912
1913 (at the rate of)
Metric
Tons (2205
Pounds)
295,684
322,928
294,902
375,518
413,735
436,687
408,118=
If possible, let us have more of this same kind of tariff-
wrought poverty and commercial distress ! The country
needs it.
This extraordinary story of rapid increase in commercial
prosperity, as well as in the volume of commerce between
the PhiUppines and the United States, is but a faint indi-
cation of what would come about under a fixed policy
which assured future adequate protection to life and
property in these islands.
Specific assurance that the United States would not sur-
render sovereignty over the archipelago until its inhab-
itants had demonstrated both abihty and inclination to
maintain a stable, just and effective govermnent would
be followed by a steady, healtliful conmiercial develop-
ment which would bring in its wake a degree of prosperity
hitherto unknown and undreamed of. The Philippines
have the best tropical climate in the world ; soil of unsur-
passed richness ; great forest wealth ; promising mines ;
• The figures for coal importations are exclusive of the quantities
imported from the United States by the federal government. These
are excluded because they have been for the most part made in large
quantities in alternate years, and would, therefore, while considerably
increasing the average total amounts imported, give a false idea of the
rate of increase of the more strictly domestic consumption,
2 Twice the actual figure for the first half of the year : 204,094 tons.
VOL. II — 2 E
918 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
and a constantly growing population willing to work for
a reasonable wage. Give assurance of a stable govern-
ment, and prosperity will increase by leaps and bounds.
Turn the country over now, or ten years from now, to the
Filipinos to govern, and the reputable business men,
mindful of Aguinaldo's demand for his share of the war
booty when Manila was taken ; of the attempted confis-
cation of the lands of the religious orders and of Spanish
citizens generally,^ of the proposal to tax foreigners^ as
such, and of the tortm'ing of friars, other Spaniards and
Filipinos as well, in order to extort money from them ; of
the widespread brigandage, the raping, the officially
authorized and directed miu-dering and burying alive
which prevailed during the period of undisturbed Fili-
pino rule, will fold their tents like the Arabs and quietly
steal away. There will remain that peculiar class of
business men who, as the Filipinos put it, love to
fish in troubled waters. They will not lack good fish-
ing grounds.
Should we not stimulate the commercial development
of the islands by adopting liberal provisions as to the
sale of public lands, safeguarding the pubUc interest by
imposing at the same tune severe conditions as to culti-
vation ? , And should not our anti-imperahst friends cease
1 There were several different plans for the confiscation of the friar
lands. The following shows the action taken in one instance, relative
to the property of Spanish prisoners : —
" On February 2, 1899, the secretary of the treasury informed the
governor of the pro^^nce of Isabela that the property of all Spanish
prisoners should be confiscated as booty of war." — - P. I. R., 1302. 0.
2 The following telegram was sent to the cabinet by the director
of diplomacy, Manila : — •
"December 21, 1898, p.m.
"Missed the train on account of government business. Beg of
you to pardon my absence, and bear in mind my suggestion to look
up an easy method of abohshing the law imposing a tax of 100 to 5000
pesos on foreigners, as not only unjust but impolitic at this time, when
we seek the sympathy of the powers. I represent to the cabinet that
such step is very urgent, because I have ascertained that members
of the chamber of commerce have reported this tax to their respective
governments in order to formulate a protest." — P. I. R., 849.
A Typical Cocoanut Grove.
Dried cocoanut meat is one of the principal exports of the Philippines.
PEACE AND PROSPERITY 919
to rail at those of their countrymen who are willing to
spend the money without which conmiercial development
is impossible ? Can they not grasp the fact that the in-
flux of Americans and American capital sounds the death
knell of slavery and peonage? It was Americans whose
testimony enabled me to prove to the world the existence
in the Phihppines of these twin e\-ils, and to bring pres-
sure to bear which resulted in prohibitive legislation. It
is Americans who are helping the poor Filipinos to become
owners of land. It is Americans who are encouraging
them to take contracts for cultivating cane, so that they
have a direct interest in the crop.
Increasing prosperity means more money for the main-
tenance of order, for schools, for hospitals, for sanitary
work and for public improvements. The diminution of
exports which would promptly follow any serious dis-
turliance of the peace of the country would result in the
loss of much of the ground already gained.
The average business man is not a sentunentalist. So
long as he can safely carry on his work, and can be sure
of just treatment, he does not worry much over the na-
tionaUty of the government officials who maintain such
conditions, but he will not invest his money in a country
where it is not reasonably certain that such conditions will
continue to prevail.
The business men of the Philippines know by experi-
ence what American government of the archipelago
means. Some of them know, also by experience, what
Filipino rule means. The slump in real estate values and
customs receipts which so promptly followed Mr. Wilson's
expression of hope that the frontiers of the United States
might soon be contracted, conclusively demonstrated their
opinion as to the effect of Philippine independence on
the peace and prosperity of the country.
The number of Filipinos who thus far have demon-
strated ability successfully to manage large commercial
enterprises is exceedingly lunited. Must not conomercial
920 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
prosperity coexist with political independence, if the latter
is to be stable ?
During the visit of the congressional delegation which
accompanied Mr. Taft on his return to the Philippines
in 1907, public sessions were held at which the Filipinos
were given opportunity to make complaints. One fervid
orator denounced the collection of customs dues, internal
revenue taxes, the land tax and the cedula tax. A con-
gressman asked him how he expected to get money to
run the government after all taxes were abolished. He
replied, "That is a detail which can be settled later."
Would it not be well to consider, at this time, one very
important detail, namely, what would be the effect on the
insular government of a marked falling off in the business
from the taxes on which practically all of the msular
revenues are at present derived ?
CHAPTER XXXV
Some Results of American Rule
Having set forth at length what seem to me the more
essential facts relative to the American occupation of the
Phihppines and the results of American rule, supporting
my statements by a rather free use of documents chiefly
drawn from the Insurgent records, I will briefly summarize
some of the more important points which I have endea-
voured to establish, lest my readers should not see the
forest for the trees.
Independence was never promised to Aguinaldo or
to any other Filipino leader by any officer of the United
States, nor was there ever any effort to deceive the Fili-
pinos by arousing false hopes that it was to be conceded.
The Insurgent force never cooperated with that of
the United States. The two had a common enemy and
that was practically all that they did have in common.
Each proceeded against that enemy in its own way.
Each ignored requests of the other relative to the manner
in which it should proceed. The Insurgent officers
planned from the outset to utifize United States soldiers
in bringing about the termination of Spanish sovereignty
in the Phihppines, and then to attack them if practicable
and necessary in order to oust the United States from the
islands. If not, they planned to consider asking us for
a protectorate or for annexation.
The temporary government estabhshed by Aguinaldo
and his associates was not, in any sense of the word, a
republic, nor was it established with the consent of the
people. It was a military oligarchy pure and simple,
imposed on the people by armed men and maintained,
921
922 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
especially during its latter days, by terrorism and by the
very free use of murder as a governmental agency. The
conditions which arose under it were shocking in the
extreme. Property rights were not respected ; human
Mfe was cheap indeed ; persons aggrieved had no redress,
and there was hardly a semblance of a system for the
administration of justice.
There were individual instances in which Insurgents
and Insurgent sympathizers were treated with severity,
and even with cruelty, by officers and soldiers of the army
of the United States, but it is nevertheless undoubtedly
true that never before have the officers and men of any
civilized nation conducted so humanely a war carried on
under conditions similar to those wliich prevailed in the
Phihppines.
Hostihties were deUberately provoked by the Insurgents,
who had previously prepared an elaborate plan for a
simultaneous attack on the American Unes around Manila
from within and without, and for the killing of all Ameri-
cans, Europeans and American sympathizers among the
FiHpinos.
The war ended with a prolonged period of guerilla
warfare, deliberately inaugurated by the Insurgents,
which bred crime and struck at the very roots of good
government.
At the earliest possible moment the Filipinos were
given a share in the control of their own affairs when
municipal governments were estabhshed, under mihtary
rule, by army officers. Many Filipinos who accepted
municipal offices under the Americans paid for their
courage with their lives, and a very large number saved
their lives only by serving two masters. Because of the
special conditions which prevailed, such persons were very
leniently dealt with when their double dealing was dis-
covered, and in the effort to afford adequate protection
to those who had put their confidence in the United States,
our armed forces were divided to an extent probably
O a;
d -1
^ I
SOME RESULTS OF AMERICAN RULE 923
previously unprecedented in liistory, and more than five
hundred separate garrisons were estabUshed.
The first PhiHppine Commission was appointed in the
hope of bringing about a friendly understanding between
Insurgent officers and the representatives of the United
States, and for the purpose of gathering reliable informa-
tion relative to people and conditions which might serve
as a basis for future legislation for the benefit of all the
inhabitants of the islands. As the result of the break-
ing out of hostihties before the commission reached its
destination, its work was necessarily limited to the
gathering of information and to efforts to promote the
earhest possible establishment of relations of friendliness
and usefulness between the two peoples.
The second Phihppine Commission was endowed with
far-reaching powers. Shortly after its arrival in the
islands it became the legislative body, and proceeded
gradually to estabhsh civil government as rapidly as
practicable in a country under military rule, many parts
of which were in active rebellion.
This difficult undertaking was carried out with a
minimum of friction between civil and military authori-
ties. The latter were invariably consulted by the former
before civil government was established in any given
region, and their wishes in the premises were respected.
The commanding general stated that the estabhshment of
civil governments was a help to him in his work, and in
accordance with his desires and recommendations they
were established prematurely in three provinces, with
the result that the temporary restoration of mihtary
government became necessary.
Under .American rule there has been brought about
in the Philippines an admirable state of pubhc order, and
life and property are to-day safe throughout practically
the whole of an archipelago which, at the close of Spanish
sovereignty, was harried by tulisanes, ladrones and Moros.
There were also very extensive areas in undisputed posses-
924 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
sion of wild and savage tribes where governmental control
had never been established, where a man was esteemed in
proportion to his success as a warrior, and where property
was likely to find its way into the hands of men brave
enough to seize it and strong enough to hold it.
We have established friendly relations with the very
large majority of the wild people and the numerous
changes for the better which we have brought about in
their territory have been effected practically without
bloodshed except in certain portions of the Moro country.
By effective legislation, strictly enforced, we have saved
these backward tribes from the threatened curse of
alcoholism.
Good order was established in Filipino territory through
the admirable work of the United States Army, assisted
toward the close of military rule by the second Philippine
Commission, wliich did much toward securing the co-
operation of the better element among the Filipinos.
Under civil control Filipinos and wild men have been
utilized as pohce officers and soldiers in their respective
habitats, and have been an important factor in bringing
about present conditions. The Philippine Constabulary,
recruited in part from Fihpinos and in part from Moros
and other non-Christian peoples, has not only proved a
most efficient body for the performance of ordinary
police work but has rendered invaluable assistance to
other bureaus of the government ; notably to the Bureau
of Health and the Bureau of Agriculture for which it has
effectively performed very important quarantine work.
It has furthermore proved to be a reUable and most useful
body in meeting great public calamities like those caused
by the recent eruption of Tall volcano, and the Cebu
typhoon.
Reforms of radical importance in the judicial system
have been another important factor in making hfe and
property safe, and have resulted in bringing even-handed
justice within the reach of many of the poor and the weak.
SOME RESULTS OF AMERICAN RULE 925
We found Manila and numerous provincial tovras
pestholes of disease, while the death-rate of the archi-
pelago as a whole was so hi^h that its climate had gained
an evil reputation.
We have given Manila a modern sewer system. We
have suppUed its people with comparatively pure drink-
ing water from a mountain watershed in place of the
contaminated water of the Mariquina River which they
were formerly forced to use. We have steadily reduced
the death-rate of the city, which is now a safe and health-
ful place of residence for all who will observe a few simple
precautions.
In the provinces, some eight hundred and fifty artesian
wells have brought pure water to hundreds of thousands
who were previously compelled to depend on infected
wells, springs and streams. By making many of the
previously most unsanitary regions of the archipelago
healthful we have conclusively demonstrated that the
lack of necessary sanitary measures, not the character of
the climate, was responsible for the conditions which
formerly prevailed.
The islands were periodically swept by frightful epi-
demics of disease. We have eliminated smallpox, pre-
viously rightly considered an almost inevitable disease
of childhood, as an important factor in the death-rate.
We have practically stamped out cholera and bubonic
plague. Years have now passed since there has been a
wide-spread epidemic of disease among the inhabitants.
The United States PubUc Health and Marine Hospital
Service has not only thrown its protective line around
the archipelago but has sent its outposts to important
neighbouring Asiatic centres for the dissemination of disease,
thus f acihtating the exclusion from the archipelago of dan-
gerous communicable ailments and preventing the intro-
duction of pneumonic plague, the most fatal of them all.
It would uncjuestionably have entered the islands had
it not been stopped at quarantine.
926 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
We are giving humane care to a considerable number
of insane persons who were previously chained to floors
or posts.
The lepers of the islands have been isolated and are
being well cared for. A few have apparently been per-
manently cured.
The scientific work of the insular government has been
coordinated in such a way as to insure maximum effi-
ciency at minimum cost. Not only has an immense
amount of routine work been economically performed
but there has been a large amount of original investiga-
tion, some of which has resulted in discoveries of far-
reaching importance to mankind.
We have found the cause of beri-beri, have eUminated
this disease from government institutions and from among
persons subject to governmental control, and have shown
the Filipinos how they may rid their country of it, and
save money at the same time, by a slight change in
their food.
We have found a specific for that horribly disfiguring
disease "yaws," and have cured large numbers of persons
afflicted with it, thus earning their lasting gratitude.
We have made pure food and pure drugs purchasable
throughout a country which was formerly a dumping
ground for products not allowed to be sold elsewhere.
We have not only made long strides in the improve-
ment of sanitary conditions in the provinces but have
brought skilled medical and surgical service mthin the
reach of very large numbers of persons who formerly
had none at all, successfully overcoming the previous
universal prejudice against hospitals, to such an extent
that those of the government are now thronged with
Filipinos seeking treatment.
In doing these things we have had to combat almost
unbelievable ignorance and superstition, the remedy for
which is to be found, we hope, in the generalization of
education which is rapidly taking place. The hundred
SOME RESULTS OF AMERICAN RULE 927
and seventy thousand children, who formerly took advan-
tage of the meagre educational facilities provided under
the previous regime, consisting chiefly of very defective
primary instruction, usually given amidst most unsanitary
surroundings, and without adequate faciUties of any
sort, have been replaced by a happy throng numbering
no less than five hundred and thirty thousand, who receive
from well-trained teachers excellent primary and second-
ary instruction, both academic and practical. Through
the school system we are generalizing the use of the
English language which is to-day, after a decade and a
half of American rule, spoken far more generally than
Spanish was after it had been the official language of
the country for three and a half centuries. In this way
we are overcoming the veiy grave obstacle in the way
of welding the numerous peoples of the Philippines into
one which is presented by then- lack of a common medium
of communication.
At the same time we are teaching boys and girls the
elements of good sanitation and right living. Girls
are also being taught to cook, to sew, to embroider
and to make lace. Both boys and girls are receiving
instruction in gardening, and boys may learn wood
working, iron working and other useful trades. Oppor-
tunities for higher academic work have been provided
in provincial high schools, and at Manila in the Philip-
pine Normal School and the University of the Philip-
pines, while the Manila Schools of Commerce and of
Arts and Trades afford ample opportunity for advanced
work on industrial and commercial lines, and the Manila
School of Household Industries fits women to go out into
the provinces and start new centres for the manufacture
of laces and embroideries.
We are educating a constantly and rapidly increasing
number of highly trained nurses, physicians and surgeons.
The working forces of certain bureaus of the govern-
ment have been utilized for purposes of special instruction
928 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
in surveying, printing and binding, and forestry, and
even the inmates of penal institutions are not forgotten,
but liave good schools provided for them.
Quite as important as the development of the minds
of the young is the development of their bodies through
the introduction of athletic games and sports, which
have incidentally promoted interconununication and
mutual understanding between the several FiUpino
peoples. In many regions baseball is emptying the
cockpits, and thus aiding the cause of good order and
morality.
Educational work has not been limited to the Filipinos,
but has been earned on among the children of the wilder
tribes, many of whom are proving to be apt pupils and
are making extraordinary progress in industrial work.
By educating the masses we are giving to the Filipinos
proper, as distinguished from the mestizo politicians,
the first opportunity they have ever had to show what
is in them.
The means of the government are at present insufficient
to educate all of the eight hundred thousand children
who, it is believed, would attend school voluntarily if
given the opportunity. The insular revenues are derived
chiefly from import duties and internal revenue taxes,
so that there is a very direct relationship between the
amount of government receipts and the volume of busi-
ness of the country. Careful attention has long been
given to stimulating the development of the vast natural
resources of the archipelago in order to increase the
prosperity of the people and that of the government,
which are inseparably united.
Owing to the breaking up of the land area of the country
into a veiy large number of small units, water transporta-
tion plays an unusually important part in commercial
development. More than two-thirds of the veiy long
coast fine has been surveyed, as have the waters adjacent
thereto.
SOME RESULTS OF AMERICAN RULE 929
The former scarcity of lighthouses has been remedied.
An admirable weather service gives due warning of the
approach of dangerous storms, and travel and the
transportation of freight by sea have thus been rendered
safe.
The previous almost complete lack of good roads has
been remedied by the construction of four thousand
four hundred miles of well-built, admirably maintained
highways in the lowlands, supplemented in the highlands
of Luzon and Mindanao and in the lowlands of Mindoro
and Palawan, by some thirteen hundred miles of cart roads
and horse trails. Hundreds of thousands of smaU farmers,
who p^e^^ously had no inducement to raise more than
their famihes or their immediate neighbours could con-
sume, because they were unable to sell their surplus
products, have thus been brought within reach of the
market.
The hundred and twenty-two miles of railway which
we found in 1898 have been increased to six hundred eleven.
The government has utilized its coast-guard vessels
to build up new trade routes untU they became commer-
cially profitable, so that private companies were willing
to take them over.
Agriculture, the main source of the country's wealth,
was conducted in a most primitive manner, modern
methods and modem machinery being practically un-
knowTi. Worse yet, it was threatened vdth complete
prostration, owdng to the prevalence of surra among the
horses and of rinderpest among the homed cattle. At
a time when great areas were lying uncultivated because
of lack of draft animals, and when the horses and cattle
of the archipelago seemed doomed to extinction, a vigor-
ous campaigii was inaugurated against animal diseases.
It has been carried out in the face of manifold obstacles
up to the present day, and is resulting in the re-stocking
of the islands through natural reproduction and the safe-
guarding of the young animals. Strenuous efforts, made
930 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
through the medium of the pubUc schools and through
demonstration stations, are bringing about a slow change
in the previously existing antiquated agricultural methods,
and the example set by Americans is leading to the gradual
introduction of a considerable amount of modern farm
machinery.
The placing of the currency of the country on a gold
basis has been a powerful factor in promoting material pros-
perity, and together with the other measures previously
enumerated, supplemented by favourable tariff legislation
giving the Philippines a market in the United States,
has led to an era of extraordinary commercial develop-
ment.
There has been a very rapid increase in the trade
between the Philippines and the United States, the former
country purchasing from us, practically dollar for dollar,
as much as it sells to us, and furnishmg us tropical prod-
ucts of a sort which we should otherwise be obhged to
buy from countries with which we have a trade balance
on the wrong side of the ledger.
The Philippines have a potential source of great wealth
in their fifty-four thousand square miles of forest. We have
introduced a conservation system which, if maintained and
developed, will permanently preserve the more important
forests while at the same time facilitating the estabUsh-
ment of a great lumber industry. The free use of forest
products from government lands for other than com-
mercial purposes has been granted to the people.
In the face of quiet but determined opposition from the
cacique class, material progress has been made in assisting
the common people to become owners of agricultural
land, while in spite of the restrictions imposed by unwise
legislation, several modern agricultural estates have been
estabUshed. They are not only serving as great demon-
stration stations, of far more practical value than any
agricultural college could be at the present stage of
development of the FiUpinos, but have materially raised
SOME RESULTS OF AMERICAN RULE 931
the daily wage of agricultural labourers in the regions
where they are situated.
We have estabhshed an efficient civil service in which na-
tional pohtics have played no part, and appointments and
promotion have depended on merit alone. This rule has
been made to apply to Filipinos as well as to Americans,
with the result that the former have for the most part
been compelled to enter the lower grades because of
defective preparation, but with the further consequence
that they have been promoted as rapidly as the result of
subsequent careful training has fitted them for advance-
ment. The proportion of Fihpino employees as com-
pared with Americans has increased from forty-nine
per cent in 1903 to seventy-one per cent in 1913.
We have given to the country religious liberty. We
have also given it free speech and a free press, both of
which have been shamelessly abused. We have created,
prematurely in my opinion, a legislature with an elective
lower house composed exclusively of FiUpinos and having
equal powers with the upper house in the matter of
initiating and passing legislation.
I reserve for the following chapter a statement of
the opportunities which we have given the Filipinos to
participate in the executive control of their towns and
provinces, and of the results of these experiments.
Never before in the history of the world has a powerful
nation assmned toward a weaker one quite such an
attitude as we have adopted toward the Filipinos. I
make this statement without thought of disparaging the
admirable work which Great Britain has done in her
colonies, but on the contrary in the conviction that in
some particulars we oiu-selves have gone too fast and too
far, and as a result are Ukely in the end to have forcibly
brought home to us the wisdom of making haste somewhat
more slowly, and paying more heed to the experience of
others, when dealing wath new problems.
However, it will do those of us who thought that we
932 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
were infallible, if such there be, a world of good to learn
that this is not the case ; and it will do our Filipino wards
good to discover, one of these days, that we can, if neces-
sary, take away as well as give.
Up to the present time our successes certainly over-
balance our mistakes, and in my opinion we have just
cause for pride in the results of our Pliilippine stewardship.
CHAPTER XXXVI
Is Philippine Independence now Possible?
This question is one of great importance to the people
of the United States, for national honour is involved in
finding its true answer.
Both of our great political parties are committed to
the policy of granting independence when the Filipinos
are ready for it. Are they ready now ? If so, the promise
should be kept. If not, we should be guilty of an unjust
and cowardly act if we withdrew our protection and
control.
I have already called attention to the fact that the
Filipinos ' are divided into a number of peoples, some-
times called tribes. The census of 1903 recognizes the
following : Visayans, numbering 3,219,030 ; Tagalogs,
1,460,695; Ilocanos, 803,942; Bicols, 566,365; Pan-
gasindns, 343,686 ; Pampangans, 280,984 Cagayans,
159,648 ; Zambalans, 48,823.
The loose use of the word "tribe" in designating these
peoples is liable to lead to very grave misapprehension.
Their leaders vigorously, and very properly, object to
the idea that they have at present anything resembling
a tribal organization. The truth is that they are the de-
scendants of originally distinct tribes or peoples which
have gradually come to resemble each other more and
more, and to have more and more in common.
The very large majority of them have been brought
up in the CathoHc faith. In physical characteristics,
' This name is properly applicable to the civilized peoples only.
VOL. II — 2 p 933
934 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
dress and customs they resemble each other quite closely.
They are alike in their dignity of bearing, their sobriety,
their genuine hospitality, their kindliness to the old and
the feeble, their love of their children and eagerness to
obtain for them educational advantages which they
themselves have been denied, their fondness for music,
their patience in the face of adversity, and the respect
which they show for authority so long as their passions
are not played upon, or their prejudices aroused, by the
unscrupulous. These are admirable characteristics and
afford a good foundation on which to build. Such dif-
ferences as exist between these several peoples are steadily
diminishing. This is especially true of the Tagalogs and
the numerically comparatively unimportant peoples lying
inmiediately to the north and west of their territory,
namely, the Pampangans, Pangasinans and Zambalans.
The Tagalogs, Ilocanos, Cagayans, Bicols and Visayans
are distinguished by much more marked differences.
In general, the Tagalogs tend to become the dominating
Filipino people of the islands, and successfully attempt
to assert themselves in their dealings with all the other
Christian peoples except the Ilocanos, who are quite
capable of holding their own. The Ilocanos have a repu-
tation for orderliness and industry which the Tagalogs
lack. The Cagayans are, as a people, notoriously lazy
and stupid, although there are of course numerous
conspicuous individual exceptions to this rule. The
Visayans are comparatively docile and law-abiding.
Many of the Bicols are energetic and capable, and they
seem to be possessed of a rather keen sense of humour,
which their neighbours lack.
Two things tend to keep the several peoples apart. The
first is the present lack of any conmaon medium of com-
rnunication. There are more quite sharply distinct
dialects than there are peoples. The Visayans, for in-
stance, speak Cebuano, Ilongo and Cuyuno. The
language difficulty is of least importance among the
IS PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE NOW POSSIBLE? 935
peoples immediately north of Manila where the use of
Tagalog is generalized to a considerable extent, but even
here it is serious.
Mr. Justice Johnson of the Philippine Supreme Court
tells me that when he was serving in Zambales as a judge
of first instance the examination of a family of four
persons necessitated two interpreters, one for the father,
and another for the mother and two step-children, while
in the trial of seven men charged with a murder it
was necessary to read the complaint in foiir different
dialects.
Taylor cites the following typical instances of practical
difficulty growing out of the multiplicity of dialects : —
"In December, 1898, General Macabulos was the com-
missioner in Tarlac Province. At Camiling the orders
prescribing how the elections were to be carried on were
read in Spanish and then translated into Ilocano. General
Macabulos next delivered in Tagdlog a speech informing
the assemblage of their duties under the new form of
government. This was translated into Ilocano, as the
people did not understand Tagdlog any more than they
did Spanish. ' When on July 6, 1898, a junta of men in
favour of the independence of the Philippines met at Ger-
ona, Tarlac, to elect among themselves the civil officials
for the town, the decrees of Aguinaldo, of June 18 and 20,
were read in Ilocano, in Tagalog, in Pampanga, and in
Pangasinan, all of which languages were spoken in the
town." 2
The head of the town of Antipolo, Morong Province,
wrote to the secretary of the interior on October 21, 1898,
that his delay in executing orders had been caused by the
fact that they were written in Tagalog, which he did not
understand. He recommended that Spanish be always
used by the central government.^ Mabini himself at
one time proposed that English be made the official lan-
guage. The constitution of the "Republic," while
1 P. I. R., 1097. 2. = Ibid., 1157. 8. ' Ibid., 1018. 1.
936 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
making Tagalog the official language, provided for
instruction in English.'
There is no literature worth mentioning written in the
native dialects, nor do they open a way to the fields of
science, the arts, history, or philosophy. Their vocabu-
laries are comparatively poor in words, and they do not
afford satisfactory media of communication, especially as
words of generalization are almost entirely lacking. This
latter fact conclusively demonstrates the stage of mental
evolution attained by the peoples which have developed
these several languages. Not long since I heard a keen
student of Philippine affairs remark that the trouble
with the Filipinos was that none of them were more
than fourteen years old ! There is truth enough in the
statement to make it sting.
The use of Spanish never became common, and know-
ledge of this language was limited to the educated few.
After fifteen short years English is far more widely spoken
than Spanish ever was. When English comes into compara-
tively general use, as it will if the present educational policy
is adhered to, one fundamental difficulty in the way of
welding the Filipinos into "a people" will have been
largely done away with.
The second important barrier between the several
Filipino peoples is built up of dislikes and prejudices, in
part handed down from the days when they were tribally
distinct and actively hostile ; in part resulting from the
well-marked tendency of the Tagalogs and the Ilocanos to
impose their will upon the others. The actual differences
between a Tagdlog and a Visayan are not so great. The
important thing, from the American view point, is that
' Title X. — Of Public Instruction.
124. . . .
Elementary instruction shall comprise reading, speaking and writ-
ing correctly the official language which is Tagalog, and the rudimen-
tary principles of English and of the exact, physical and natural sciences,
together with a slight knowledge of the duties of man and citizen. —
Taylor, 19 MG.
IS PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE NOW POSSIBLE? 937
every Tagalog and every Visayan really considers them
very great.
There would have been no insurrection of any impor-
tance in the Visayas and Mindanao if the Tagalogs had
kept their hands off. We have seen how they worked
their will on the people of the Cagayan vallej^ and the
Visayas, and what bitter animosities they provoked. We
have also seen how on various occasions the Ilocanos
opposed the Tagalogs as such, and even planned to kill
them, while the Visayans did kill them on various occa-
sions. However much politicians may declaim about a
united Filipino people, certain uncomfortable but indis-
putable facts reduce such claims to idle vapourings.
At the time when there was great excitement in Manila
over the Jones Bill, and manj- Filipinos believed that inde-
pendence was coming on July 4, 1913, there took place at
the house of General Aguinaldo a very significant gathering
of former insurgent generals and colonels. There was then
much interest in the question of who would be appointed
president of the coming Philippine Republic. It was
officially announced that the object of this meeting was to
unite those who attended it in an effort to aid in the
maintenance of a good condition of pubhc order. I
learned from a source which I believe to be thorouglily
reliable that one of the conclusions actually reached was
that no Visayan should be allowed to become president
of the repubhc, and that one of the real objects of the
meeting was to crystallize opposition to the candidacy of
Senor Osmeiia, the speaker of the assembly. But the
undesirability of giving publicity to such factional
differences at this time was promptly realized and this
attitude on the part of Aguinaldo 's supporters was not
publicly announced.
Troubles between Ilocanos and Cagayans continue in
Cagayan, Zsabela and Nueva Vizcaya up to the present
day. Several years since, when investigating the cause
which lay behind a petition from certain people of the
938 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
latter province for an increase in the educational require-
ment precedent to the exercise of the franchise, I dis-
covered that the whole thing resolved itself into an effort
to disfranchise the Ilocanos, who always voted together
and already controlled elections in several townships.
Without going further into the differences which sepa-
rate the several civilized peoples, I will say emphati-
cally that the great mass of Filipinos do not constitute
"a people" in the sense in which that word is understood
in the United States. They are not comparable in any
way with the American people or the English people.
They cannot be reached as a whole, and they do not re-
spond as a whole. In this they agree with all other Malays.
Colquhoun has truly said : ' —
"No Malay nation has ever emerged from the hordes of
that race, which has spread over the islands of the Pacific.
Wherever they are found they have certain marked character-
istics and of these the most remarkable is their lack of that
spirit which goes to form a homogeneous people, to weld them
together. _ The Malay is always a provincial ; more, he rarely
rises outside the interests of his own town or village."
More important than the differences which separate
the Tagalogs, Ilocanos, Cagayans, and Visayans as
such, are those which separate the individuals compos-
ing these several groups of the population. Very few of
the present political leaders are of anj^thing approaching
pure Malayan blood. To give details in specific cases
would be to give offence, and to wound the feelings of men
who certainly are not to blame for their origin. Suffice
it to say that with rare exceptions, if one follows their
ancestry back a very little way he finds indubitable evi-
dence of the admixture of Spanish, other European or
Chinese blood. The preeminence of these men is un-
doubtedly due in large measure to the fact that through
» "The Mastery of the Pacific,'.' p. 122, A. R. Colquhoun, Macmillan,
1902.
A Typical Spanish Mestiza.
IS PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE NOW POSSIBLE? 939
the wealth and influence of their fathers they had educa-
tional advantages, and in many instances enjoyed broaden-
ing opportunities for travel, which were beyond the reach
of their less fortunate countrymen. To what extent their
present demonstrated abilities are due to these facts, and
to what extent they are due to white or Mongolian blood,
will never be known until the children of the common
people, who are now enjoying exceptional^ good educa-
tional opportunities, arrive at maturity and show what
they can do.^
Meanwhile there is more or less thinlj^ veiled hostil-
ity between the mestizo class and the great dark mass
of the people. For a time we heard much of Filipinos
de cara y corazon- and while because of pohtical expe-
diency there is less of this talk now than formerly, the feel-
ing which caused it persists, and will continue to endure.
Throughout the Christian provinces the same condition
exists everywhere. The mestizo element is in control.
Until the common people have learned to assert them-
selves, and have come to take an important part in the
commercial and political development of their country,
anything but an oligarchical form of independent govern-
ment is impossible.
There has been complaint from pohticians and others
of the mestizo class that American men are, as a rule,
disinchned to increase it by marrying its women and
breeding mestizo children.
Juan Araneta, a very intelhgent Visayan of Negros,
put the matter brutally to me by saying that white blood
was the only hope for his people, and that if he had his
' In this connection Bishop Brent has said, " Tie recognized leaders
in the Philippines to-day, so far as racial quaUfications are concerned,
would have at least equal right to claim citizenship in Spain, China
or England. Thus far, it is the men of mixed blood who are the poli-
ticians. The degree of capacity in the Filipino wiU not be revealed
until the schoolboys of to-day are in active public life."
' Literally, "Filipinos of face and heart." The expression means
Filipinos in appearance and in sympathies.
940 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
way he would put in jail every American soldier who
did not leave at least three children behind him.
Blount pretends to find an obstacle to American con-
trol in the fact that American women will not marry
Filipinos, and in the further fact that those American men
who do marry Filipinas soon find themselves out of touch
with their former associates. He says that this is not at
it should be.i He adds that many Filipinos are sons or
grandsons of Spaniards, and therefore have a very warm
place in their hearts for the people of that nation.
He neglects to mention the fact that the vast majority
of the Spanish mestizo class were born out of wedlock.
I believe that the attitude of American women on this
subject is eminently proper and that American men,
who expect ever again to live in their own country, as a
rule make a grave mistake if they marry native women.
Even when they are to remain permanently in the islands,
such a course is in my opinion usually most undesirable.
I have known a limited number of happy mixed marriages
of this sort, but in the large majority of cases which have
come under my observation they have led to the rapid
mental, moral and physical degeneration of the men
concerned. While some of the children born of such
marriages are very fair, there are occasional reversions to
' " But there is no doubt that many of the Filipinos after all have a
very warm place in their hearts for the Spanish people. How could
it be otherwise when so many of the Filipinos are sons and grandsons
of Spaniards ? Much of like and dislike in life's journey is determined
prenatally. On the other hand, the American women in the Philip-
pines maintain an attitude toward the natives quite like that of their
British sisters in Hongkong toward the Chinese, and in Calcutta toward
the natives there. The social status of an American woman who
marries a native — I myself have never heard of but one case — is
like that of a Pacific coast girl who marries a .Jap. . . . But look
at the other side of the picture. When an American man marries a
native woman, he thereafter finds himself more in touch with his
native 'in-laws' it is true, but correspondingly, and ever increasingly
out of touch with his former associations. This is not as it should be.
But it is a most unpleasant and inexorable fact of the present situa-
tion." — Blount, pp. 554-555.
IS PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE NOW POSSIBLE? 941
the ancestral type of the mothers, and the lot of dark-
skinned children is not a happy one, as even their own
mothers are almost sure to dislike them.
The mestizo class is now large enough, and the problems
which its existence presents are grave enough, to render
undesirable its further growth. Finally, while the hght-
skinned mestiza girl almost always seeks a white husband,
the real typical Filipinos, who are brown, are quite con-
tent to mate with each other, and do not dishke whites
for declining to marry their daughters. The people of
this class are friendly toward Americans, if they have
actually come in contact with them and learned how
much they are indebted to them, and are hostile if their
ignorance is so great that they can be led, by unscrupu-
lous poUticians, to beUeve that Americans are responsible
for any ills from which they happen to be suffering, such
as cholera, which they have often been told is due to our
poisoning their wells !
Blount says ^ it is a "verdict of all racial history . . .
that wheresoever white men dwell in considerable num-
bers in the same countiy with Asiatics or Africans, the
white men will i-ule."
Certainly Spanish and other European mestizos dwell
in considerable numbers in the Philippines. Are indi-
viduals with three-fourths to thirty-one thirty-seconds
white blood white men or Asiatics? They certainly
would determine what form of government should be
established were independence now granted, and it is in-
teresting to determine what they consider to be the requi-
' " We should either stop the clamour or stop the American capital
and energy from going to the Islands. After an American goes out
to the Islands, invests his money there, and casts his fortunes there,
unless he is a renegade, he sticks to his own people out there. Then
the Taft policy steps in and bullyrags him into what he calls ' knuckling
to the Filipinos,' every time he shows any contumacious dissent from
the Taft decision reversing the verdict of all racial history — which
has been up to date, that wheresoever white men dwell in any consider-
able numbers in the same country with Asiatics or Africans, the white
man will rule." — Blount, pp. 438-439.
942 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
sites for the establishment of a government by them.
One of these men in an address made at the time the con-
gressional party visited the islands, with Mr. Taft, put
the case as follows : —
"If the masses of the people are governable, a part must
necessarily be denominated the directing class, for as in the
march of progress, moral or material, nations do not advance
at the same rate, some going forward wMlst others fall behind,
so it is with the inhabitants of a country, as observation -nill
prove.
"If the Philippine Archipelago has a governable popular
mass called upon to obey and a directing class charged with the
duty of governing, it is in condition to govern itseK. These
factors, not counting incidental ones, are the only two by which
to determine the political capacity of a coimtry ; an entity that
knows how to govern, the directing class, and an entity that
knows how to obey, the popular masses."
The conditions portrayed might make a government
possible, but it would assuredly not be a republic. The
advocates of this view are hardly in harmony with the
one so eloquently expressed at Rio Janeiro by Mr.
Root : —
"No student of our times can fail to see that not America
alone but the whole civilized world is swinging away from its
old governmental moorings and intrusting the fate of its civiliza-
tion to the capacity of the popular mass to govern. By this
pathway mankind is to travel, whithersoever it leads. Upon
the success of this, our great undertaking, the hope of humanity
depends."
If what is needed to make a just and stable government
possible is "an entity that knows how to obey, the popu-
lar masses" and an entity that thinks it "knows how to
govern, the directing class," then we might leave the
islands at once, if willing to leave the wild tribes to their
fate, but we have work to do before the civiUzation of the
Filipinos can safely be intrusted to "the capacity of the
popular mass to govern."
IS PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE NOW POSSIBLE? 943
Blount has said : —
"Any country that has plenty of good la\\yers and plenty
of good soldiers, backed by plenty of good farmers, is capable
of self-government." '■
Do the Philippines fulfil even these requirements?
Filipino la^svyers are ready speakers, but have their
pecuHarities. \^Tien the civil suit which I brought against
certain Filipinos for hbel was drawing to its close, and the
prosecution was limited to the submission of evidence in
rebuttal, important new e\'idence was discovered. To
my amazement, my lawyers put the witness who could
give it on the stand. They asked him his age, his pro-
fession and a few equally irrelevant questions, and then
turned him over to the la'w^ers for the defense, who
promptly extracted from him the very testmiony it was
desired to get on record. Their very fii'st question drew
a most unjudicial snort of laughter from the judge, but
even this did not stop them.
I was later infoimed that FiUpino lawyers could usually
be depended upon to do this very thing, and that their
American colleagues habitually took advantage of this
fact. The truth is that few of the Filipino lawj'ers are
good, if judged by American standards.
I have elsewhere stated my Aiews as to the excellence
of the FiUpino soldier, but no military leaders have as
yet arisen who were capable of successfully carrying on
other than guerilla operation.
The farmers of the islands are as a class anything but
good. They are ignorant and superstitious, underfed,
and consequently inclined to indolence, and are a century
behind the times in their methods. -
There are certain undesirable characteristics which are
common to a large majority of the people correctly desig-
nated as Filipinos. Ignorance and superstition are still
to be met at every turn. At the time of the census of
' Blount, p. 105.
944 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
1903 the percentage of illiteracy in the Philippines was
estimated to be 79.8. More than half of the persons
counted as literate could read and write only some native
dialect, and often did even that badly.
More recent, and therefore more interesting, as showing
present day conditions, are the statistics obtained in
connection with the elections of June 4, 1912. Abihty
to read and write English or Spanish entitles a male citizen
of the Philippines, who is twenty-three or more years of
age, to vote.
The total number of registered votes was 248,154 only,
of whom slightly less than one-third had the above-
mentioned qualifications. In Manila 14 per cent of the
voters were illiterate, and in the provinces 70 per cent.
This lack of education opened wide the door to fraud and
was one of the chief reasons why there were 240 pro-
tested elections out of a total of 824, made up as follows :
municipal, 709 ; provincial, 34 ; for delegate to assembly,
81.
The proportion of Uterate electors to total population
in the territory in question was 1.47 per cent.
One of the easiest kinds of business to start in the
Philippines, and one of the most profitable to conduct, is
the establishment of a new religion.
We have recently had the "colorum," with head-
quarters on Mt. San Cristobal, an extinct volcano. People
visited this place and paid large sums in order to persuade
the god to talk to them. A big megaphone, carefully
hidden away, was so trained that the voice of the person
using it would carry across a canon and strike the trail
on the other side. If payments were satisfactorily large
the god talked to those who had made them in a most
impressive manner when they reached this point in their
homeward journey.
We have also had the Cabaruan fiasco in Pangasindn,
in the course of which a new town with several thousand
inhabitants sprang up in a short time. There was a
IS PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE NOW POSSIBLE? 945
place of worship where the devout were at prayer day
and night. There was also a full-fledged holy Trinity
made up of local talent. Unfortunately, some of the
principal people connected with this movement became
involved in carabao stealing and other forms of pubUc
disorder, and on a trip to Lingayen I saw the persons who
had impersonated God the Son and the Virgin Mary in
the provincial jail. We have had "Pope Isio" in Negros,
who was in reality the leader of a strong ladrone band,
and we have had various other popes elsewhere who oc-
cupied themselves in similar ways.
Hardly a year passes that miraculous healers do not
spring into ephemeral existence in the islands, and the
people invariably flock to them in thousands. Con-
spicuous among this class of imposters was the "Queen
of Taytay," whose exploits I have already narrated.
The belief of the common people in asudng and in the
black dog which causes cholera has also already been
mentioned. A very large percentage of them are firmly
convinced of the efficacy of charms, collectively known as
anting-anting, supposed to make the bodies of the wear-
ers proof against bullets or cutting weapons. Within the
past year a bright young man of Paraiiaque, a town im-
mediately adjacent to Manila, insisted that a friend should
strike him with a bolo in order that he might demon-
strate the virtues of his anting-anting, and received an in-
jury from which he promptly died. Again and again the
hapless victims of this particular superstition have gone
to certain death, firm in the conviction that they could
not be harmed.
The worst of it is that even the native press does not
dare to combat such superstitions, if indeed those who
control it do not still themselves hold to them.
La Vanguardia, commonly considered to be the leading
Filipino paper in the islands, published the following
account of the event referred to above : —
946 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
"Basilio Aquino, a native of Paranaque, and Timoteo
Kariaga, an Iloko residing in Manila, made a bet as to wiiich of
them had the better anting-anting, and to settle it Kariaga
allowed himself to be struck twice on the right arm and once
on the abdomen, but as they say, — Miracle of miracles !
Although Aquino used all of his strength and the bolo was ex-
tremely sharp, ho did not succeed in making the slightest
scratch on Kariaga. In view of that, Aquino invited his rival
to submit him to the same test. Kariaga was reluctant to
do so, for he was sure he would wound Aquino, but the latter
insisted so much that there was nothing to do liut please him,
and at the first cut his right arm was almost severed, and he
died from loss of blood two hours later. The wounded man
would not report the occurrence to the authorities, but the
relatives of the victim were compelled to do so in view of his
tragic end."
From the report of this occurrence in El Ideal, a paper
believed to be controlled by Speaker Osmeiia, I quote the
following : —
"The trial was made in the presence of a goodly number of
bystanders, all of them townsmen, connections and friends of
the actors.
"Timoteo Kariaga, that being the name of one of the actors,
an Ilocano resident of Manila, was the first to sulimit to the
ordeal. His companion and antagonist, named Basiho Aquino,
from Paraiiaque, bolo in hand, aimed slashes at the former,
endeavouring to wound him in the arms and abdomen, without
success, the amulet of Kariaga offering apparently admirable
resistance in the trial, so that the bolo hardly left a visible
mark upon his body."
A very interesting and highly instructive book might
be vrritten on Fihpino superstitions, but I must here
confine myself to a few typical illustrations : —
The following extract from a narrative report of the
senior constabulary inspector of the island of Leyte, dated
April 3, 1913, is not without interest. It deals with a
murder which it describes as follows : —
"Basiho Tarli had given the bolo thrust that killed the de-
ceased, with a small fighting bolo belonging to Pastor Lumantal,
who had given Basilio the bolo for this purpose. The deceased
A Strange Couple.
This photograph shows a feast given by a boy of thirteen years and a girl of
twelve on the anniversarj- of the death of their son. Very early marriages
are responsible in part for the poor physical development so conmion among
the Filipinos.
IS PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE NOW POSSIBLE? 947
had the reputation of being a sort of witch doctor, and Pastor
thought that his wife, Maria Subior, who was pregnant, had a
dog or other animal in her womb instead of a child, placed
there by the deceased. For this reason Pastor arranged with
Basiho Tarli and Cecilio Cuenzona to kill the deceased."
Lieutenant George R. F. Cornish, P. C, stationed at
Catubig in Samar, reported on "Pagloon" as follows
during August, 1913 : —
"Pagloon, a method of overcoming certain weak traits in
children, is practiced by most of the inhabitants of Samar. If,
for example, a father who is not in the military service, shoots a
man, superstition has it that his child w\\\ shortly become sick.
The father, to prevent this, uses a method known as 'pagloon,'
which, being interpreted, means 'to vaporize,' 'to make
clean.' He places the stock of the gun that chd the shooting,
along with a branch of a cocoanut tree that has been sanctified
in incense by the padre of the Cathohc church in a fire. The
padre furnishes these incense leaves only once a year. The
hands are dipped in water and then placed in the smoke. The
vaporous healing incense that collects on the hands, from placing
them in the fire, is rubbed on the child from head to foot. This
operation is repeated three nights in succession and then the
child ought to be free from any danger."
Serious trouble was made for men investigating the
mineral resources of the island of Cebu by the circulation
of a tale to the effect that they needed the blood of chil-
dren to pour into cracks in the ground.
The following is an extract from a narrative report of
the senior constabulary inspector of Pampanga for
April, 1913: —
"April 9. — Between 2 and 3 p.m. in the barrio of San Pedro,
Manilan, the two sisters (old women) Maria and Matea Manalili
were cut up with a bolo by Hermogenes Castro of the barrio of
Santa Catalina of the same town, resulting in the instant death
of Matea. Maria, whose right hand was cut off, died on the
21st instant. Castro gave up and on the 10th instant was re-
manded to the Court of First Instance charged with murder.
The two sisters were known in the locality as 'mangcuculan,'
or witches, and were charged by Castro with having cast a spell
948 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
on him, causing a stiff neck, which spell the sisters refused to
remove."
A number of comparatively reputable Filipino physi-
cians, in the city of Marula itself, have confessed that
they have to pretend to depend, to some extent, on charms
and exorcisms, in order to get and keep practice.
In this connection I quote the following decision of
the Philippine Supreme Court in the case of the United
States vs. Mariano Boston, rendered November 23, 1908
(10 Phihppine Reports, p. 134).
"The accused in this case was convicted in the Court of
First Instance of the Province of Pangasinan of the crime of
abortion as defined and penalized in paragraph 3 of article 410
of the Penal Code.
"The guilt of appellant is conclusively established by the
evidence of record, the testimony of the witnesses for the prose-
cution lea\ang no room for reasonable doubt, despite the fact
that there are some inconsistencies and discrepancies in their
statements. Counsel for appellant insists that the evidence
does not conclusively establish the fact that he intentionally
caused the abortion, because there is no evidence in the record
disclosing the character and medicinal qualities of the potion
which the accused gave to the mother whose child was aborted.
The evidence clearly discloses that the child was born three
months in advance of the full period of gestation; that the
appellant, either belie^-ing or pretending to believe that the
child in the womb of the woman was a sort of a fish-demon
(which he called a balat), gave to her a potion composed of
herbs, for the purpose of relieving her of this alleged fish-demon ;
that two hours thereafter she gave premature birth to a child,
having been taken with the pains of childbirth almost imme-
diately after drinking the herb potion given her by the appellant ;
that after the birth of the child the appellant, still believing
or pretending to believe that the child was a fish-demon which
had taken upon itself human form, with the permission and aid
of the husband and the brother of the infant child, destroyed it
by fire in order to prevent its doing the mischief which the ap-
pellant believed or affected to believe it was capable of doing.
These facts constitute, in our opinion, prima facie proof of the
intent of the accused in giving the herb potion to the mother of
the child, and also of the further fact that the herb potion so
IS PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE NOW POSSIBLE? 949
administered to her was the cause of its premature birth. The
defence wholly failed to rebut this testimony of the prosecution,
and we are of opinion, therefore, that the trial court properly
found the defendant guilty of the crime with which he was
charged beyond a reasonable doubt.
"The sentence imposed is in strict accord with the penalty
provided by the code, and should be and is hereby affirmed,
■nath the costs of this instance against the appellant. So
ordered."
It is claimed that the Filipinos are a unit in demanding
their independence. As a matter of fact, the bulk of the
common people have little idea what the word really
means. In this connection the following extract from the
report of Colonel H. H. Bandholtz, later director of con-
stabulary, of June 30, 1903, on the bandit Rios, is of inter-
est : —
"Rios represented himself to be an inspired prophet and
found little difficulty in working on the superstitions of the ex-
tremely ignorant and credulous inhabitants of barrios distant
from centres of population. So well chd he succeed that he had
organized what he designated as an 'Exterior Municipal
Government' (for revenue only) with an elaborate equipment of
officials. He promoted himself and liis followers in rapid suc-
cession, until he finally had with him one captain-general, one
heutenant-general, twenty-five major-generals and fifty briga-
dier-generals and a host of officers of lower grade. In apprecia-
tion of his own abilities he appointed himself 'Generalissimo'
and 'Viceroy' and stated his intention of having himself
crowned 'King of the Philippines.' Titles like these not
proving sufficient, he announced himself as 'The Son of God,'
and dispensed 'anting-antings,' which were guaranteed to make
the wearer invulnerable to attack. Of the ladrones killed during
this period, few were discovered who were not wearing one of
these 'anting-antings.'
"The dense ignorance and credulity of the followers of Rios
was clearly shown by the fanatical paraphernaUa captured by
Captain Murphy, P. C, on March 8, near Infanta. Among
these was a box, on the cover of which was painted the word
'Independencia,' and the followers of Rios profoundly beUeved
that when they had proven themselves worthy the box would
be opened and the mysterious something called independence
VOL. II — 2g
960 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
for which they had so long been fighting could be secured, and
that when attained there would be no more labour, no taxes, no
jails, and no Constabulary to disturb their ladrone proclivities.
"When this mysterious chest was opened it was found to
contain only some old Spanish gazettes and a few hieroglyphics,
among which appeared the names and rank of the distinguished
officials of the organization."
The affair is typical of an endless series of similar oc-
currences.
The ordinary Filipino dearly loves mystery, and
misses no opportunity to join a secret society. It
matters little to him what its supposed object may be,
and that end is, as frequently as anything else, the
organization of an insurrection. All sorts of fees are
collected from the ignorant poor by the leaders of such
movements, who are almost invariably of the educated
and intelligent classes. At the opportune time they get
away with the funds, leaving their ignorant followers to
blunder along until caught and lodged in jail. The
American government has dealt very gently with such
poor dupes, most of whom have been released without
any punishment. Within the past few days ^ I have
had an interview with an exceptionally intelUgent Filipino
justice of the peace who sometimes gives me interesting
information, in the course of which I asked him what
was going on at present. He laughed and told me that
the Filipinos in the vicinity of Manila believed that Mr.
Harrison, the new governor-general, was coming to give
them independence, and that a lot of smart rascals, who
pretended to be organizing the army that would be
necessary to maintain it, were selling officers' commissions
at a peso each to any one who would buy them, and were
doing a thriving business.
Until it ceases to be so readily possible to prey on the
superstitions, the credulity and the passions of the com-
mon people, efforts on the part of the Filipinos to estab-
1 Written September 15, 1913.
IS PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE NOW POSSIBLE? 951
lish and maintain unaided a stable government are not
likely to be crowned with very abundant success.
In general it may be said of the Filipino that he is
quick to learn, but needs a teacher ; is quick to follow, but
needs a leader. He is ready to do the things he is taught
to do. He accepts discipline, orders, rules. He has a
great respect for constituted authority. He lacks initia-
tive and sound judgment.
Let Americans beware of judging the Filipino peoples
by the men with from one-half to thirty-one thirty-seconds
of white blood, who so often have posed as their repre-
sentatives.
More important than the interrelations of the several
Christian peoples inter se are those between the several
Christian peoples on the one hand and the non-Christian
tribes on the other. This subject has already been dis-
cussed at length, so I will limit myself to a brief summary
statement.
The Filipinos dislike and despise the non-Christians.
They take advantage of their ignorance and helplessness
to rob or cheat them of the fruits of their labour, and often
hold them as slaves or peons. The non-Christians in turn
hate them, and the more warlike wild tribes do not hesitate
to take vengeance on them when opportunity offers.
The Filipinos as a whole are afraid of the Moros, and with
good reason. The Moros frankly assert that if a Filipino
government were established, they would resume their
long-abandoned conquest of the archipelago, and this
they would certainly do. Although the non-Christians
are numerically few, as compared with the Christians,
they are potentially important because they have the
power to make an amount of trouble- wholly dispropor-
tionate to their numbers. The Filipinos could not rule
them successfully, and the probable outcome of any
attempt on their part to control them would be the
inauguration of a pohcy of extermination similar to that
v/hich Japan is following with certain of the hill men of
952 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
Formosa. Because of the inaccessible nature of the
country inhabited by many of the Phihppine wild tribes,
they would be able to hold their own for many years, and
there would result a condition similar to that which has
prevailed for so long in Achin, while the Moros with their
abihty to take to the sea and suddenly strike unpro-
tected places would cause endless suffering and loss of hfe.
Under the Spanish regime the penalty which followed
a too Uberal use of "free speech" was very hkely to be a
sudden and involuntaiy trip to the other world. There
was no such thing as a free press. A very strict censorship
was constantly exercised over all the newspapers. The
things that are now said and wTitten daily without attract-
ing much attention would at that time have cost the
Uberty or the Uves of those who voiced them.
It is hardly to be wondered at that an Oriental people
which had never had a free press or liberty of speech
should have mistaken liberty, when it finally came, for
license, and have gone to extremes which conclusively
demonstrated their initial unfitness properly to utihze
their new privileges.
Governor-General Smith once told a delegation of
leading Filipinos that it was all very well to have freedom
of speech and of the press in a country ruled by the
United States government, which was strong enough
to maintain order in the face of manifold difficulties,
but that if the islands ever secured their independence
the first official act of those in power should be to do away
with the one and the other, for the reason that such a
government as they would estabhsh could not exist if
either continued.
While the curtailing of freedom of speech or of the press
under American civil rule is almost unthinkable, it is
nevertheless true that the attitude of many of the poh-
ticians who do the talking, and who control the native
press, has been poisonous.
A very intelUgent student of Philippine affairs has
IS PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE NOW POSSIBLE? 953
truly said that nothing more is necessary to demonstrate
the present unreadiness of the country for self-government
than a careful study of the attitude of the native press
toward important pubhc questions. From the beginning
until nowthere has been one long and almost uninterrupted
series of hes, innuendoes, sneers and diabohcally ingenious
misrepresentations. Practically every important policy
of the government has been viciously attacked, and the
worst of it is that the people primarily responsible for this
are not honest, or misled. They know perfectly well what
they are doing and why they are doing it. They em-
bitter that portion of the coimnon people who are reached
by newspapers at all, and doubtless many of their dupes
really believe that the established govermnent is a rotten
farce, and that its highest officials are steeped in iniquity.
Certainly no people are more skilful than are the Filipino
politicians in pretending to write one thing with the
certainty that another and very different one will be
read between the hues. In the matter of libel, they are
adepts at skating on thin ice. Rare indeed is the occur-
rence of a decent attitude on the part of any native news-
paper toward any important pubhc question.^
The historA' of the municipal and provincial governments
is worthy of very careful consideration.
' The editor of an American newspaper published at Zamboanga
has accurately described the attitude of the native press as follows : —
"We have often referred to the great opportunity prevailing for
the native press of the Philippines to aid the material and political
uplift of the inhabitants. Conditions of race and dialect naturally
conduce to facilitate this work for the native journalist. With few
exceptions^ however, the nativ'e press has persistently obstructed every
effort toward general amelioration of the condition of the masses.
Conspicuous efficiency in good government has furnished a target for
its denunciation. Truth has been garbled, motives maligned, race
hatred kindled, falsehood fabricated and sedition practised, encouraged
and lauded. The public school system, the intrinsic foundation to
free institutions, instituted under the military regime and constantly
expanded under the civil regime, has been interpreted by the native
press as a pernicious effort to oppress the masses by the enforcement of
a foreign language upon them. The efforts to stamp out cattle disease
954 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
It has been found necessary to exercise close supervision
over them in order to correct a constant tendency on the
part of those having authority to abuse it.
Practically all the time of three lawyers in the executive
bureau is taken up in examining evidence and reports
of administrative investigations of charges against munici-
pal officials and justices of the peace, of whom about two
hundred are found guilty each year. Half that number
are removed from office. One of the commonest charges
against these officers is "abuse of authority," and one of
the most difficult and endless tasks of the American ad-
ministrative officers is to impress on the elective native
official a sense of obligation toward his "inferiors," that
is, the plain people who elected him.
He expects obsequiousness and even servility, and if
they are lacking, endeavours to get square.^
and for the restoration of draft animals huxe been maligned as being op-
pressive to personal liberty. The sanitary measures which have so reno-
vated the very atmosphere of the archipelago have ever been the mark
of derision and violent attack. When cholera and plague have claimed
their hundreds daily, efforts at prevention have persistently met with
opposition from the native press. Officials with the most unselfish
motives have been persistently insulted, slandered and maligned.
The American flag, which is the only emblem giving assurance of safety
in the home, peace from abroad, liberty of opportunity, and equality
and justice before the law, has been constantly smeared with the oppro-
brium of a malignant, filthy native press. Progress of the Philippine
people as a whole is retarded."
' On March 1.5, 191.3, the Assistant Executive Secretary had occa-
sion to write the foUoTving letter to the Governor of Capiz : —
" My Dear Governor AlT-^v.^s : I have to acknowledge receipt
of your communication of the 28th ultimo, complaining against the
Justices of the Peace of Jamindan and Tapaz for failing 'to salute' j'ou
when visiting said towns, although your visits were frequently an-
nounced in advance, and the Justices of the Peace were in town at
the time.
"The theoretical principles of democracy prevailing under this
government do not require such courtesies as a matter of law. It
may be that, as your letter intimates, the .Justice of the Peace should,
as a matter of courtesy, call on you when you are in his town, but failure
to do so in no wise constitutes ground for complaint, and were we
to take your complaint seriously and cause it to be investigated, we
would be indeed in serious danger of receiving a lecture on democracy
I'
^4
mm
A Member of the C.iBARCAN Tkinitt.
This man impersonated Christ at the time a new religious sect established its
headquarters at Cabaruan, Paugasinin. Nevertheless he got into jail for
cattle stealing.
IS PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE NOW POSSIBLE? 955
Surely I have given enough illustrations of the ferocious
brutahty with which Filipino officials treated the common
people in the days of the "Republic." Such brutahty
would again be in evidence were there to be any failure to
hold officers strictly accountable.
The following case, called to my attention by a rehable
American woman, illustrates the fact that provincial
governors are sometimes swayed by other than humani-
tarian motives : — •
"In 1902 when I was living at Capiz, a very pretty little
fellow, a child of 7 or 8, often came begging to my house.
Finally he ceased to come and I saw nothing of him for several
months. Then I met him one morning, stone blind, his eyes in
frightful condition. I made inquiry and learned that the people
with whom he lived (liis parents were dead) not finding him a
remunerative investment had decided that he must be made
more pitiful looking to Ijring in good returns as a beggar. So
they filled his eyes with lime and held his head in a tub of water.
I took the child to the Governor (the late Hugo Vidal) to make
complaint. The Governor listened to my storj-, and then ex-
claimed, 'You are mistaken. I have known this child for years
and he has been Hke this all the time.' The local sanitary chief
agreed with him, and I was forced to give up all hope of having
the inhuman wretches that had tortured the child punished."
The attitude of provincial and municipal officials toward
very necessary sanitary measures has often been exceed-
ingly unfortunate.
In 1910 the officials of the town of Bautista, Pangasinan,
voted to have a fiesta, in spite of the fact that the health
authorities had informed them that this could not be
done safely, owing to the existence of cholera in the
from either the Judge of the Court of First Instance or the Justice of
the Peace himself.
"I believe that, under the circumstances, the best course to be
taken in the matter would be for you to withdraw the complaint, for
even if the Justices concerned admit the charges, no administrative
action against them would be possible.
" Very sincerely,
(Signed) " Thomas Cart Welch
(Active Executive Secretary) "
956 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
neighbouring towns. The town council preferred the
merry-making to tlie protection of the hves of the people,
and voted to disregard the warnings of the Bureau of
Health, with the result that several of the neighbouring
municipalities were infected with cholera, and many
Hves were needlessly lost. The governor of the province,
himself a Filipino, was lax in attention to duty in this
instance or the town council would have been suspended
before, instead of after, this action on its part.
For a long time municipal pohcemen were commonly
utiUzed as servants by the town officials, and were nearly
useless for actual pohce work. To put firearms into their
hands was little better than to present them outright to
the ladrones. At present the constabulary exercise a
considerable amount of control over municipal police,
and there has resulted very material improvement in
their appearance, disciphne and effectiveness.
Municipal councils in the majority of cases voted all
of the town money for salaries, leaving nothing for
maintenance of public buildings, roads and public works,
with the result that streets in the very centres of towns
became impassable even for foot passengers. They were
often indescribably filthy, cluttered with all sorts of waste
material, and served as a meeting ground for all the horses,
cattle, dogs, pigs, hens and goats of the neighbourhood.
In many instances, the first use made of their newly
acquired powers by provincial governors and municipal
presidents was to persecute in all sorts of petty ways those
who had opposed their election, while the latter displayed
marked disinclination to accept the will of the majority.
It is not to be expected that the FiUpino should under-
stand modern democratic government. Where could he
have obtained knowledge of it ? Under Spanish rule he
saw officials habitually enriching themselves at the ex-
pense of the communities they were supposed to govern.
He saw a government of privilege where the work of the
many benefited the few. How could he have gained
IS PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE NOW POSSIBLE? 957
experience in modem and enlightened administration
for the benefit of the people rather than for the benefit
of the administrators? Not only must there be knowl-
edge on the part of officials that this is the proper way to
govern, but there must be a demand on the part of the
people for such a government, and until the people
know and understand that such a government is their
right there will be no such demand. There is not yet a
suflScient proportion of the Filipino people literate to
make approval or disapproval felt.
Incidentally it should be remembered that in the
Philippine Islands any provincial or municipal officer may
be suspended by the governor-general, or removed for
failure properly to perform his duties, for disloyalty, or
for other causes. The provincial governors also hold the
same power over the municipal presidents. Existing
conditions are therefore not comparable with those which
would arise without such control. I would as soon say
that an automobile could go without a driver because it
runs fairly well when there is a driver directing it as that
the administration of the municipalities and provinces
of the Philippine Islands would go as well as it now does
under a system which does not pro\ade for strong central
control. It is one thing to administer when you are care-
fully supervised, and when the power of removal is held
directly over you by a superior officer watching your
every move, and another to administer equally well when
the reins are not firmly held.
Serious consideration must be given to another group
of facts in considering the fitness of the FiUpinos for in-
dependence. It is undeniably true that they have pro-
gressed much further in ci\'ilization than has any other
group of peoples of Malayan origin. It is just as in-
dubitable that their development has not been a natural
evolution, but has resulted from steady pressure brought
to bear during three and a half centuries by Spain, and
during the last decade and a half by the United States.
958 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
What would happen were this pressure removed ? One
may judge, within hmits, from what has happened where
it has been removed. Take, for instance, Cagayancillo,
which is an isolated town on a small island southwest of
Panay. Here the Spanish friar was the sole representative
of governmental authority in bygone days. Cagayancillo
was then a thriving town, with a strong stone fort for
defense against the Moros, a beautiful, large church with
splendid wood carvings ornamenting its interior, and a
fine masonry convento of most original architecture,
with long rows of giant clam shells embedded in its
outer walls. There were a good municipal building and a
stone schoolhouse, also excellent for their day. I first
visited the place shortly after Palawan was made a
province under civil rule. No priest had been there for
three years. The town and its inhabitants reeked with
filth. The wits of the two or three exceptionally inteUigent
men of the place were befogged with opium. The church
and convento were falling into ruin. The fort had already
gone to the bad. The presidencia^ was a wreck, and so
was the schoolhouse. There were no teachers for the
children. The people were rapidly lapsing into barbarism.
In 1910 I visited the town of Malaueg, situated in the
province of Cagayan. It was one of the first mission
stations in northern Luzon. I found there the walls of
an immense church and convento. These walls were
approximately forty inches thick, and were intact, though
roofs and floors had disappeared, in part from decay and
in part from the steaUng of the boards. Over the door
of the church was a thick hardwood beam on which were
carved in raised letters Spanish words signifying that the
church was rebuilt in 1650. The walls of Manila were
built about 1590. When was this church constructed
to require rebuilding sixty years later ? And what must
then have been the size of the town which* furnished the
necessary hands to erect such a huge structure ?
■ Municipal building.
IS PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE NOW POSSIBLE? 959
The Spanish friar in charge had left during the revolu-
tion against Spain some time subsequent to 1896, and
as a result the town had gone to pieces after so many
centuries of life. Nothing remained but a small collec-
tion of grass huts. The men had reverted to the breech-
clout, and were again adopting the head-axe. Many of
them had already taken to the mountains.
The Spaniards compelled Filipinos to live in towns,
or at least to have houses there. Under our form of
government we allow them to do as they please, with the
result that in provinces hke Palawan our utmost efforts
do not avail to keep them from forsaking settlements
and scattering out through inaccessible mountain regions,
where they are rapidly gravitating back to the state of
barbarism from which they originally emerged. I might
multiply instances of this sort of thing.
In the early days of civil government the commission
in many instances combined municipahties w'hich lay
immediately adjacent to each other and could readily
enough be administered from a common governmental
centre. This action was taken in the interest of economy,
and in the belief that the resulting saving in salaries would
make possible the employment of more school-teachers,
and the construction of better school buildings.
In many, if not most, cases such fusion of municipali-
ties proved a mistake. The town which happened to
become the new seat of government prospered. There
were spent the taxes collected in the other formerly
independent centres of population, which, deprived of
then- autoridades} promptly became insanitary, disorderly
and unprogressive.
I am firmly convinced that the Filipinos are where they
are to-day only because they have been pushed into
Une, and that if outside pressure were relaxed they would
steadily and rapidly deteriorate.
It is not necessary that there should be much retro-
' Literally "authorities," by which is meant municipal oflScials.
960 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
gression to cause serious trouble. I have discussed the
character and attitude of the present FiUpino legislative
body. I have shown indubitably what sort of a govern-
ment the Filipinos themselves established while they had
a free hand. I agree absolutely with Blount's contention
that they would again establish precisely the same sort of
a government if left to their own devices. There would
follow, first aggression against the property of foreigners,
and then attacks upon their persons, which would not only
excuse, but would necessitate, intervention by other
governments to protect their citizens. Some of the more
inteUigent FiUpino leaders would set their faces against
such conduct as firmly as they did during the rule of the
so-called Insurgent government, but now, as then, would be
powerless to restrain either the more unprincipled among
the intelligent, or the great body of the ignorant rank and
file, and nothing more than a fairly plausible excuse would
be needed to start the ball of foreign intervention rolling.
Many Americans may, in their present deep igno-
rance of the value of their most recently acquired
possessions, agree with that distinguished representative
who announced on the floor of the House of Representa-
tives that the Philippines were "a lemon," but agents and
spies of Japan have worked throughout the entire archi-
pelago and she knows better. England and Germany
have had their business men in the islands for many
years, and they know better also.
The Filipinos are not yet fit to govern themselves,
much less to govern the Moros and other non-Christian
tribes, even if let alone, and they would not be let alone
should we turn their country over to them.
Philippine independence is not a present possibility, nor
will it be possible for at least two generations. Indeed,
if by the end of a century we have welded into a people
the descendants of the composite and complex group of
human beings who to-day inhabit the islands, we shall
have no cause to feel ashamed of our success.
CHAPTER XXXVII
What Then?
It has been urged by one class of our citizens that
we abandon the islands because they are a source of miU-
tary weakness, and that we guarantee their independence,
which in plain Enghsh means that we hold ourselves ready
to fight for them ! They insist that with our Caucasian
origin and our years of hard-earned experience, we are not
fit to govern them, but that their Filipino inhabitants,
who are the Malayan savages of the sixteenth century, plus
what Spain has taught them, plus what they have so re-
cently learned from us, are fit to govern themselves and
must be allowed to do so under our protection.
In other words, having brought up a child who is at
present rather badly spoiled, we are to saj' to the family
of nations: "Here is a boy who must be allowed to
join you. We have found that we are unfit to control
him, but we hope that he will be good. You must not
spank him unless you want to fight us."
It has been suggested that we get other nations to agree
to the neutrahzation of the islands. WTiy should they ?
Are we prepared to offer them any tangible inducements,
or do we believe that the millennium has arrived and that
they are actuated by purely altruistic motives in such
matters ?
Blount quotes with approval the following statement
of Secretary William Jennings Br>'an : —
"There is a wide difference, it is true, between the general
intelligence of the educated Filipino and the labourer on the
street and in the field, but this is not a barrier to self-govern-
ment. Intelligence controls in every government, except where
961
962 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
it is suppressed by military force. Nine-tenths of the Japanese
have no part in the law-making. In Mexico, the gap between
the educated classes and the peons is fully as great as, if not
greater than, the gap between the extremes of Filipino society.
Those who question the capacity of the Filipinos for self-
government forget that patriotism raises up persons fitted for
the work that needs to be done." '
This sounds well, but will it bear analysis ? We are
now being furnished a practical demonstration of the
results achieved by people like the Mexicans when they
attempt to conduct a so-called republic. Whether the
gap between the extremes of Mexican society is as great
as that between the extremes of Filipino society depends
on what one includes under the latter term. If one limits
it to the Christianized natives, the statement quoted
is true. If one includes the non-Christians which con-
stitute an eighth of the population, it is not true.
Would the United States care to assume responsibility
for conditions in Mexico without any power to exercise
control over the government of that country? Those
who demand that we guarantee the independence of the
Philippines are advocating a thing precisely similar to
this, except that torture and burying alive do not seem to
be in vogue in Mexico, and would be practised in the
Philippines again, as they have been in the recent past.
Can any one fail to grasp the fact that the following
statements of Bishop Brent embody solid common sense ?
"Finally it must be recognized that the Philippine problem
cannot be settled without reference to its international bearing.
Neutrahzation has been proposed. But can American or any
other diplomacy secure the neutraUty of the Powers? Would
it mean anything if promises of neutrality were made? Is it
not so, that though no existing military power. East or West,
would fight America in order to secure possession of the Philip-
pines, there are at least two nations which would seize the first
opportunity for interference if American sovereignty ceased?
Can America afford to protect a government halfway round the
worldj which she does not actually and constructively control ?
' Blount, pp. 296-297.
'^r^'^W^
A Typical Um-aTVLh. l'i!u\ ixti.vL (.iu\ lknment Building.
A Modern- Provincial Government Building.
WHAT THEN? 963
She has found it difficult enough with one near at hand. It
appears to me that it would be a measure of quixotry beyond the
most altruistic administration, to stand sponsor for the order of
an experimental government of more than doubtful stability
ten thousand miles from our coasts. AVhen the Pliihppines
achieve independence they must swallow the bitter with the
sweet, and accept the perils as well as the joys of walking alone.
There are national risks involved even in a limited protectorate
to which I trust America will never expose herself."
We stoutly asserted in 1899 that the Filipinos were not
fit to govern their own country, and this was certainly then
true. If in the short space of fifteen years, with leaders
who have so recently committed almost incredible bar-
barities still in the saddle, we had rendered them fit, we
should have performed the most wonderful political miracle
that the world has ever seen. But the age of miracles has
long since passed. While the Filipinos have advanced more
in the last fifteen years than during any previous century
of their history, what they have gained is by no means in-
grained in their character, and they yet have far to go.
It is our duty and our privilege to guide and help them
on their way. We should hold steadily onward disregard-
ing the hostility and the murmurings of selfish politicians,
and looking hopefully to the future for substantial results
from the broad and generous policy which we have thus
far followed.
Many of the politicians want independence under a
United States protectorate, by which they mean that their
country shall be turned over to them to do with as they
please, with a fleet of American warships lying conven-
iently near to see that they are not interfered with w'hile
thus engaged. It would be the height of folly for us to
enter into any such arrangement.
We must help the Filipinos to attain for their country
commercial prosperity, so that its revenues may be more
adequate for the support of government. Before com-
mercial prosperity can exist, the people must learn to em-
ploy modern agricultural methods and modern machinery
9G4 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
in bringing considerable portions of the present enor-
mous uncultivated areas of fertile land to a state of
productivity.
We must set right standards and insist that they be
lived up to. The way to stimulate healthful develop-
ment of the Filipinos is to let the apples hang high and
make them climb for them, not to tell them to hold their
hats and shake the tree.
This policy of setting right standards has already been
very successfully pursued in the education of Filipino
doctors, Fihpino nurses, FiUpino surveyors, Filipino
printers and Filipino teachers.
A Filipino should never be appointed to public office
merely because he is a Filipino, the clamour of politicians
to the contrary notwithstanding. He should be ap-
pointed only if, and because, he is fit. Such a policy,
unswervingly followed, will do more to promote the
real interests of the civilized inhabitants than will
all the concessions that could be made in a thousand
years.
And what have we ever gained by concessions to Fili-
pino politicians ? Can any one point out a single instance
in which they have aroused that feeling of gratitude, or
even that sense of obligation, which may fully justify the
adoption of measures that would otherwise be of doubt-
ful utility ? No !
This fact is well illustrated by the attitude of the poli-
ticians toward the Jones Bill providing for the establish-
ment of the Philippine republic on July 4, 1913 and in-
dependence in 1920.
Hardly were its terms known in Manila when various
politicians announced that the Filipinos did not want
to wait until 1920, they wanted independence right
then!
An editorial in the number of Speaker Osmena's paper.
El Ideal, for March 19, 1913, contains the following sig-
nificant sentence : —
WHAT THEN? 965
"We accept the test to which the Jones Bill subjects us, be-
cause we have full confidence in ourselves. Afterward, we shall
do what is most expedient for us." '
Gratitude does not enter into the make-up of the aver-
age Filipino poHtician, and we must learn not to expect it.
We must do what ought to be done because it ought to
be done, and not look for appreciation to a small but
very noisy body of men who curse us for standing between
them and their prey, as we have stood from the day when
Dewey first forbade Aguinaldo to steal cattle until now.
It is just as easy to win the gratitude and the affection
of the common people of the lowlands as it has proved to be
in the case of the wild men of the hills, but if we are to
do this there must be a radical departure from the present
policy, and we must deal with them directly.
In this connection it is instructive to study the career
of James R. Fugate, Lieutenant-Governor, by appoint-
ment, of the sub-province of Siquijor. In spite of
wretched health, he has done work of which he and his
country have just cause to be proud. No one can fully
appreciate it who does not know conditions as they were
when he went there and as they are to-day. Siquijor has
been converted into a checkerboard by good roads and
trails where formerly there did not exist decent means of
communication. Dysentery and typhoid fever ravaged
the island during each recurring dry season when drinking
water was almost unobtainable in many places, and what
could be found was really unfit for human use. There are
now fine public baths in the towns. Beautiful drinking
fountains for men and animals are to be seen, not only in
the larger centres of population, but along many of the
principal highways.
Municipal officials have been taught their duties and
perform them well. A complete telephone system con-
nects the lieutenant-governor's office with all parts of
the island. Siquijor was formerly completely isolated from
1 This is a rather open tlireat to fight.
VOL. II — 2 H
966 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
the outside world, but now has cable communication.
Fine schools have been established, and swarm with chil-
dren. The man who has brought about all this is beloved
by the people whom he has helped and protected. They
cannot bear the thought of his leaving them. What is the
explanation of this phenomenon, when the inhabitants
of many parts of the islands seem to remain unmoved by
the many advantages which they now enjoy, and murmur
against those to whom they are indebted for them ? The
answer is simple. Mr. Fugate speaks Visayan about as
well as he does English, and there have been no inter-
mediaries between him and his people, who consequently
understand that they owe to him the benefits which they
have received.
Certain evil pohticians of Negros Occidental, whom he
robbed of their spoils, attacked him with characteristic
persistency and ingenuity. A young man of clean life, he
was accused of adultery and of seduction of minors. Al-
though he could at any time have had a better position at
higher compensation ; although he gave much of his in-
adequate salary to the poor and defenceless ; although he
carried on pubUc works at a fraction of the cost of similar
undertakings in neighbouring provinces, he was charged
with profiting by government contracts and with the mal-
versation of funds of the sub-province. All of these at-
tacks failed miserably. His real offence was that he had
stayed the hand of the oppressor, and let the people go free.
In many, if not in most, of the Christian provinces we
have utilized the services of Filipino politicians who are
openly opposed to the policy which we are endeavouring
to carry out, and have thus placed between ourselves
and the people a screen of shrewd and hostile men who
can communicate with them as we cannot, who play upon
their ignorance and their prejudices as we would not if
we could, who keep them firm in the belief that all their
troubles are due to the * ' mucho malo gobierno Americano, " ^
1 Corrupt Spanish for "very bad American Government."
WHAT THEN? 967
and that all the advantages which they enjoy have been
wrung from the unwilling and unjust Americans by the
courage and political ingenuity of the local politicos.
For this condition of things we have ourselves to thank,
and these are the men who would be governors under
' ' self-government . ' '
When the Federal Party was formed, a large number of
conservative Filipinos came out into the open and risked
their Uves to aid in the termination of war and brigandage,
and the establishment of peace and tranquillity. At the
outset we rewarded many of those who escaped assassina-
tion by appointing them to pubhc offices which they
seemed fit to fill. In a few instances we even helped the
families of those who sacrificed their Uves to the cause of
law and order. A little later, anxious to show that we
were willing to let bygones be bygones, political offices,
so far as they were within the gift of the government, were
distributed practically without regard to the previous
political records of the recipients. In taking this high
attitude we assumed that the generous treatment thus
accorded our late enemies would be appreciated by them
and would win us their confidence and cooperation. We
showed our ignorance of the men with whom we were
dealing when we allowed ourselves to expect such a re-
sult. They interpreted our generosity as an evidence of
fear, and each new concession has served only to whet their
appetites. For years we gave profitable government
advertising to vicious publications which never for a mo-
ment ceased to attack us. If there is any one lesson
which should have been brought home to us by our experi-
ence it is that in the Philippine Islands this sort of thing
does not work as yet. In this, as in most other countries,
there are just two political parties, to wit, the "ins" and
the "outs." PubUc office is ardently desired by a large
percentage of the educated Filipinos who dearly love to
exercise authority, and will do without scruple what seems
necessary to get it.
968 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
We have gone too fast and too far in conferring on the
people power to elect their officers. A larger percentage
of the public offices should have remained appointive, and
should have been filled either with Americans or with Fili-
pinos of recognized ability who were really in favoiu- of the
policy which the government was carrying out. Open
and active opposition to that policy should have been
made ground for prompt removal from office. The men
who risked their lives to help us were entitled to recogni-
tion and reward, and to the protection which the know-
ledge that such recognition is being accorded gives in a
country like the Phifippines. Left out in the cold, they
turned against us when they saw om* political enemies
filling fat offices, and why not ? Such a course was safer
and more popular, and they thought that we might then
be willing to buy their allegiance, judging by our deafings
with others !
It has been claimed that the intelligent, highly edu-
cated class are a unit for independence. Nothing could
be further from the truth, but it would be uncommonly
hard at present to prove this fact.
Some time since, I sat beside a very distinguished Fili-
pino at a public banquet. He made a speech in which he
expressed the conviction that independence in the near
future would be a most desirable thing. When he sat
down I said to him, "What would you do if you got it?"
His reply was, "Be still ! I would take the first steamer
for Hongkong!" His attitude is typical of that of a
large group of opportunists.
There is a considerable body of inteUigent, conserva-
tive Filipinos who believe, as do the vast majority of
well-informed Americans, that independence at this time
would be an unmitigated curse in that it would neces-
sarily be temporary, would result in grave disturbances
of public order, would bring foreign intervention and the
occupation of the islands by some nation with purposes
far less altruistic than ours, and would put the possi-
c 3
"B. cs
9 -i '2
■f f- —
WHAT THEN? 969
bility of real, permanent independence off until a time so
remote as to be far beyond the range of our present vision.
These men will state their attitude freely in private con-
versation with those in whom they have confidence, but
hardly one of them has the courage to go on record.
Why should they? We have seen that in the old days
those who opposed the views of Aguinaldo and his asso-
ciates were given short shrift and that thousands of them
were murdered in cold blood, while those who actively
opposed the American military and civil governments
were \\-ithout exception freely pardoned when further
opposition became impossible, unless guilty of crimes of
the gravest character. Nay, more. Under the amnesty
proclamation there were turned loose from BiUbid Prison
hundreds of murderers, some of whom had taken the
lives of scores of human beings. Little attention has been
paid at any time to the violation, by FUipinos, of their
oaths of allegiance to the United States, and now, when
we discover one of the periodic incipient insurrections
frequently organized by intelligent natives for the sole
purpose of wringing hard-earned pesos from the peasant
class, we seldom punish severely even the vicious leaders.
It is idle to suppose that these facts are lost upon the
conservative FiUpinos. They know that if independence
does not come no punishment will be meted out' to them
for remaining neutral, or even for actively advocating it,
but that if it does come, and they have opposed it, ven-
geance swift, sure and dire ■nail smite them. They are
afraid, and they have the best of reasons to be afraid,
because we have annoxmced no definite policy. Let it
be authoritatively stated that American sovereignty
will be maintained in these islands for a long period and
those who actually beUeve that there is not a strong ele-
ment among the Filipinos who favour such a course will
get a real surprise.
At present, however, our ears are deafened by the
clamour of the noisy politicians, who claim to represent
970 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
"the Filipino people." In this connection Bishop
Brent has pertinently observed : —
"If desire implied ability, the clamor for independence on
the part of the Filipinos, which just now is more widespread
then at any time in their history, would be the signal for o\xc
withdrawal, but only their achievements can determine their
abihty."
Before we can safely declare the Filipinos ready to
try the great experiment of self-government we must
bring them to the place where they no longer regard bandit
leaders as popular heroes but are able and determined to
maintain a state of pubUc order such that life and prop-
erty will be safe. We must wean them from their present
hostility toward legitimate foreign business interests.
We must teach them that agriculture comes before art ;
that a public office is a public trust ; that the enormous
potential wealth of their forests is worth preserving ;
that the poor Filipino must be encouraged to own and till
his own land, not held as a slave or peon. We must go
on training physicians, surgeons and sanitarians so that
the pubUc health may be adequately protected and
individual suffering relieved. We must be sure that our
wards have developed the understanding and courage
necessary successfully to oppose the great waves of epi-
demic disease which constantly threaten their country
from without. We must train up Fihpino engineers,
to-day almost completely lacking, in sufficient numbers
to make possible the construction of the pubfic works
needed in future and the maintenance of those which
already exist.
There must be chemists and bacteriologists to do the
routine work of the government, to make the investiga-
tions necessary to safeguard the lives of the people, and to
faciUtate the development of the resources of the country.
Finally, there must be a sufficiency of just judges, of
honourable lawyers, of able administrators, and of legis-
WHAT THEN? 971
lators unswayed by the childish motives which so often
influence those of to-day.
Most important of all, we must bring the Filipino
people to the place where they can go on properly teach-
ing their children and their youths.
The day when all this will have been done of necessity
lies far in the future, and if, when contemplating this fact,
we sometimes grow weary, we should remember that the
task, though a mighty and unprecedented one, is well
worthy of the best energies of a great nation. It can
never be accomplished through partisan politics.
In considering our duty to the Filipinos let us not for-
get the fate of him "who putteth his hand to the plough
and turneth back." The old, old rule applies to nations
as well as to individuals.
We are giving the Filipinos a fair chance to develop
every latent ability wliich they possess. In the very
nature of the case, their future lies, and must Ue, wholly
with them. There is no royal road to real independence,
much less is there any short cut. Our Filipino wards
must tread the same long, weary path that has been trod-
den by every nation that has heretofore attained to good
government.
The case has been admh-ably stated by that dis-
tinguished gentleman who to-day occupies the highest post
within the gift of the American people. He has said : —
" There is profound truth in Sir Henry Maine's remark that
the men who colonized America and made its governments, to
the admiration of the world, could never have thus masterfully
taken charge of their own affairs and combined stability with
liberty in the process of absolute self-government if they
had not sprung of a race habituated to submit to law and
authority, if their fathers had not been subjects of kings, if the
stock of which they came had not served the long apprentice-
ship of political childhood during which law was law without
choice of their own.
"Self-government is not a mere form of institutions, to be
had when desired, if only proper pains be taken. It is a form
972 THE PHILIPPINES PAST AND PRESENT
of character. It follows upon the long discipline which gives a
people self-possession, self-mastery, the habit of order and peace
and common counsel, and a reverence for law which will not
fail when they themselves become the makers of law ; the steadi-
ness and self-control of political maturity. And these things
cannot be had without long discipline.
"The distinction is of vital concern to us in respect of prac-
tical choices of policy which we must make, and make very
soon. We have dependencies to deal with and must deal with
them in the true spirit of our own institutions. We can give
the Filipinos constitutional government, a government which
they may count upon to be just, a government based upon some
clear and equitable imderstanding, intended for their good and
not for our aggrandizement ; but we must ourselves for the
present supply that government. It would, it is true, be an
imprecedented operation, reversing the process of Runnymede,
but America has before this showii the world enlightened
processes of politics that were without precedent. It would
have been within the choice of John to summon his l>arons to
Runnymede and of his own initiative enter into a constitutional
understanding with them ; and it is within our choice to do a
similar thing, at once wise and generous, in the government
of the Philippine Islands. But we cannot give them self-gov-
ernment. Self-government is not a thing that can be 'given'
to any people, because it is a form of character and not a form
of constitution. No people can be 'given' the self-control of
maturity. Only a long apprenticeship of obedience can secure
them the precious possession, a thing no more to be bought than
given. They cannot be presented with the character of a com-
munity, but it may confidently be hoped that thej' will become
a community under the wholesome and salutary influences of
just laws and a sympathetic administration ; that they will after
a while understand and master themselves, if in the meantime
they are understood and served in good conscience by those
set over them in authority.
" We of all people in the world should know these fundamental
things and should act upon them, if only to illustrate the mas-
tery in politics which belongs to us of hereditary right. To
ignore them would be not only to fail and fail miserably, but
to fail ridiculously and behe ourselves. Having ourselves
gained self-government by a definite process which can have no
substitute, let us put the peoples dependent upon us in the
right way to gain it also." '
' " Constitutional Government in the United States," by Woodrow
Wilson, Ph.D., LL.D., pp. 52-53.
A Possible iJFFicE-noLDf;R.
The man with the lance could be elected senator for the Mountain Province
were the Jones Bill to be enacted. He has the qualifications therein pre-
scribed as necessarj' to eligibility for this high office.
WHAT THEN? 973
These views will be indorsed by every intelligent Ameri-
can who knows the Filipino, and has some adequate con-
ception of the problems presented by the presence, in the
same country with him, of the Ifugao, the Igorot, the
Manobo, the Bukidnon, and the Moro. They are the
views of Professor Wilson, historian and pohtical philos-
opher, at a time when he was unswayed by party preju-
dices and untrammelled by party pohcy. Let us hope
that President Wilson, the titular leader of the Demo-
cratic party and the dispenser of political patronage, has
not entirely abandoned them, and that in embarking
so boldly, not to say so rashly, as he has done, on the
policy of suddenly giving to the Filipinos a radical increase
in the control which they are allowed to have over their
own affairs, and of leaving them subsequently to demon-
strate their fitness or unfitness to exercise it, he will at
least be bound by the actual results of an experiment
which, as every one familiar with local conditions in the
islands well knows, is fraught with the gravest danger.
After all is said and done, the real Philippine question
is not what path they shall take. That has been deter-
mined, for all nations alike, by a Divine Providence that
is all-seeing, all-wise and inexorable. It is not whether
they shall travel the old, old road a little faster, or a little
more slowly. That will ultimately be settled, for them
and for us, by the unanswerable logic of events, and we
need not worry over it. The real question is, shall they
make their long and adventurous journey, guided, helped
and protected by the strong and kindly hand of the
United States of America, or shall they be left to stagger
along alone, blind in their own conceit, under the keen
and watchful eye of another powerful nation, hungrily
awaiting their first misstep?
APPENDIX •
Instructions of the President to the First Philippine
Commission
"Department of State,
"Washington, January 21, 1899.
"My dear Sir: I inclose herewith a copy of the instruc-
tions which the President has drawn up for the guidance of
yourself and your associates as commissioners to the Philippines.
"I am, with great respect, sincerely yours,
"John Hat."
" Honourable Jacob G. Schurman,
"The Arlington."
" Executive Mansion,
"Washington, January 20, 1899.
" The Secretary of State :
"My communication to the Secretary of War, dated De-
cember 21, 1898, declares the necessity of extending the actual
occupation and administration of the city, harbour, and bay of
Manila to the whole of the territory which by the treatj' of
Paris, signed on December 10, 1898, passed from the sovereignty
of Spain to the sovereignty of the United States, and the con-
sequent establishment of military government throughout the
entire group of the Philippine Islands. While the treaty has
not yet been ratified, it is believed that it will be by the time
of the arrival at Manila of the commissioners named below.
In order to facilitate the most humane, pacific, and effective
extension of authoritj' throughout these islands, and to secure,
with the least possible delay, the benefits of a wise and generous
protection of life and property to the inhabitants, I have named
Jacob G. Schurman, Rear-Admiral George Dewey, ^lajor-
General Elwell S. Otis, Charles Denby, and Dean C. Worcester
to constitute a commission to aid in the accomphshment of
these results.
"In the performance of this dutj-, the commissioners are
enjoined to meet at the earliest possible day in the city of
Manila and to announce, by a public proclamation, their
presence and the mission intrusted to them, carefully setting
975
976 APPENDIX
forth that, while the military government already proclaimed
is to be maintained and continued so long as necessity may
require, efforts will be made to alleviate the burden of taxation,
to establish industrial and commercial prosperity, and to pro-
vide for the safety of persons and of property by such means
as may be found conducive to these ends.
"The commissioners will endeavour, without interference
^dth the military authorities of the United States now in control
of the Philippines, to ascertain what amelioration in the con-
dition of the inhabitants and what improvements in public
order may be practicable, and for this purpose they will study
attentively the existing social and political state of the various
populations, particularly as regards the forms of local govern-
ment, the administration of justice, the collection of customs
and other taxes, the means of transportation, and the need of
public improvements. They will report through the Depart-
ment of State, according to the forms customary or hereafter
prescribed for transmitting and preserving such communications,
the results of their observations and reflections, and will rec-
ommend such executive action as may from time to time seem
to them wise and useful.
"The commissioners are hereby authorized to confer authori-
tatively with any persons resident in the islands from whom they
may believe themselves able to derive information or suggestions
valuable for the purposes of their commission, or whom they
may choose to employ as agents, as may be necessary for this
purpose.
"The temporary govenmaent of the islands is intrusted to
the military authorities, as already provided for by my instruc-
tions to the Secretary of War of December 21, 1898, and will
continue until Congress shall determine otherwise. The com-
mission may render valuable services by examining with special
care the legislative needs of the various groups of inhabitants,
and by reporting, with recommendations, the measures which
should be instituted for the maintenance of order, peace, and
public welfare, either as temporary steps to be taken imme-
diately for the perfection of present achninistration, or as sug-
gestions for future legislation.
"In so far as immediate personal changes in the civil adminis-
tration may seem to be advisable, the commissioners are em-
powered to recommend suitable persons for appointment to
these offices from among the inhabitants of the islands who
have previously acknowledged their allegiance to this Govern-
ment.
APPENDIX 977
"It is my desire that in all their relations with the inhabitants
of the islands the commissioners exercise due respect for all
the ideals, customs, and institutions of the tribes which com-
pose the population, emphasizing upon all occasions the just
and beneficent intentions of the Government of the United
States. It is also my wish and expectation that the commis-
sioners may be received in a manner due to the honoured and
authorized representatives of the American Republic, duly
commissioned on account of their knowledge, skill, and integ-
ritj^ as bearers of the good will, the protection, and the richest
blessings of a liberating rather than a conquering nation.
"William McKinley."
Proclamation of the First Philippine Commission
To the people of the Philippine Islands :
The treaty of peace between the United States and Spain,
ratified several weeks ago by the former, having on March 20
been ratified by the latter, the cession to the United States, as
stipulated by the treaty, of the sovereignty which Spain pos-
sessed and exercised over the Philippine Islands has now, in
accordance with the laws of nations, received a complete and
indefeasible consummation.
In order that the high responsibilities and obUgations with
which the United States has thus become definitively charged
may be fulfilled in a way calculated to promote the best in-
terests of the inhabitants of the Philippine Islands, his Excel-
lency the President of the United States has appointed the
undersigned a civil commission on PhiUppine affairs, clothing
them ^vith all the powers necessary for the exercise of that office.
The commission desire to assure the people of the Philip-
pine Islands of the cordial good will and fraternal feeUng which
is entertained for them by his Excellency the President of the
United States and bj- the American people. The aim and ob-
ject of the American Government, apart from the fulfilment of
the solemn obligations it has assumed toward the family of
nations by the acceptance of sovereignty over the Phihppine
Islands, is the well being, the prosperity, and the happiness of
the PhiUppine people and their elevation and advancement to
a position among the most ci\alized peoples of the world.
His Excellency the President of the United States believes
that this felicity and perfection of the Phihppine people is to
be brought about by the assurance of peace and order ; by the
guaranty of civil and rehgious hbertj' ; by the estabUshment of
978 APPENDIX
justice; by the cultivation of letters, science and the liberal
and practical arts ; by the enlargement of intercourse with
foreign nations ; by the expansion of industrial pursuits, trade
and commerce ; by the multiplication and improvement of the
means of internal communication ; by the development, mth
the aid of modern mechanical inventions, of the great natural
resources of the archipelago ; and, in a word, by the uninter-
rupted devotion of the people to the pursuit of those useful
objects and the reahzation of those noble ideals which consti-
tute the higher civilization of mankind.
Unfortunately, the pure aims and purposes of the American
Government and people have been misinterpreted to some of
the inhabitants of certain of the islands. As a consequence,
the friendly American forces have, without provocation or cause,
been openly attacked.
And why these hostihties? What do the best Filipinos
desire? Can it be more than the United States is ready to
give? They are patriots and want hberty, it is said. The
commission emphatically asserts that the United States is not
only wiUing, but anxious, to establish in the PhiUppine Islands
an enlightened system of government under which the Philip-
pine people may enjoy the largest measure of home rule and
the amplest hberty consonant with the supreme ends of govern-
ment and compatible with those obligations which the United
States has assumed toward the civiUzed nations of the world.
The United States striving earnestly for the welfare and
advancement of the inhabitants of the PhiUppine Islands, there
can be no real confhct between American sovereignty and the
rights and Uberties of the PhiUppine people. For, just as the
United States stands ready to furnish armies, na\'ies and all
the infinite resources of a gi-eat and powerful nation to maintain
and support its rightful supremacy over the PhiUppine Islands,
so it is even more sohcitous to spread peace and happiness
among the Philippine people ; to guarantee them a rightful
freedom ; to protect them in their just privileges and immuni-
ties ; to accustom them to free self-government in an ever-
increasing measure ; and to encourage them in those democratic
aspirations, sentiments and ideals which are the promise and
potency of a fruitful national development.
It is the expectation of the commission to visit the PhiUppine
peoples in their respective provinces, both for the purpose of
cultivating a more intimate mutual acquaintance and also with
a \-iew to ascertaining from enUghtened native opinion what
form or forms of government seem best adapted to the PhiUp-
APPENDIX 979
pine peoples, most apt to conduce to their highest welfare, and
most conformable to their customs, traditions, sentiments
and cherished ideals. Both in the establishment and mainte-
nance of government in the Philippine Islands it will be the
pohcy of the United States to consult the views and wishes, and
to secure the advice, cooperation and aid, of the Philippine
people themselves.
In the meantime the attention of the PhiUppine people is
invited to certain regulative principles by which the United
States will be guided in its relations with them. The follow-
ing are deemed of cardinal importance : —
1. The supremacy of the United States must and will be enforced
throughout every part of the archipelago, and those who resist it can
accomplish no end other than their own ruin.
2. The most ample liberty of self-government will be granted to the
Philippine people which is reconcilable with the maintenance of a wise,
just, stable, effective and economical administration of public affairs,
and compatible with the sovereign and international rights and obli-
gations of the United States.
3. The civil rights of the Philippine people will be guaranteed and
protected to the fullest extent ; religious freedom assured, and all
persons shall have an equal standing before the law.
4. Honour, justice and friendship forbid the use of the Philippine
people or islands as an object or means of exploitation. The purpose
of the American Government is the welfare and advancement of the
Philippine people.
5. There shall be guaranteed to the Philippine people an honest and
effective civil serv'ice, in which, to the fullest extent practicable, natives
shall be employed.
6. The collection and application of taxes and revenues will be put
upon a sound, honest and economical basis. Public funds, raised
justly and collected honestlj-, will be applied only in defraying the
regular and proper expenses incurred by and for the establishment and
maintenance of the Philippine government, and for such general im-
provements as public interests may demand. Local funds, collected
for local purposes, shaU not be di\^erted to other ends. With such a
prudent and honest fiscal administration, it is beheved that the needs
of the government will in a short time become compatible with a con-
siderable reduction in taxation.
7. A pure, speedy and effective administration of justice will be
established, whereby the e\'ils of delay, corruption and exploitation
will be effectually eradicated.
8. The construction of roads, railroads and other means of com-
munication and transportation, as well as other pxiblic works of mani-
fest advantage to the Philippine people, will be promoted.
9. Domestic and foreign trade and commerce, agriculture and
other industrial pursuits, and the general development of the country
980 APPENDIX
in the interest of its inhabitants will be constant objects of soUeitude
and fostering care.
10. Effective provision will be made for the establishment of ele-
mentary schools in which the children of the people shah be educated.
Appropriate facilities will also be provided for higher education.
11. Reforms La all departments of the government, in all branches
of the public service and in all corporations closely touching the
common life of the people must be undertaken without delay and
effected, conformably to right and justice, in a way that will satisfy
the well-founded demands and the highest sentiments and aspirations
of the Philippine people.
Such is the spirit in which the United States comes to the
people of the Philippine Islands. His Excellency, the Presi-
dent, has instructed the commission to make it pulalicly known.
And in obeying this behest the commission desire to join with
his Excellency, the President, in expressing their own good will
toward the Phihppine people, and to extend to their leading and
representative men a corchal invitation to meet them for
personal acquaintance and for the exchange of views and
opinions.
Manila, April 4, 1899.
Jacob Gould Schurman,
President of Commission.
George Dewey,
Admiral U. S. N.
Elwell S. Otis,
Major-General U. S. Volunteers.
Charles Denby.
Dean C. Worcester.
John R. MacArthur,
Secretary of Commission.
Instructions of the President to the Second Philippine
Commission
War Department,
Washington, April 7, 1900.
Sir : I transmit to you herewith the instructions of the
President for the guidance of yourself and your associates as
commissioners to the Philippine Islands.
Very respectfully, Elihu Root,
Secretary of War.
APPENDIX 981
Hon. William H. Taft,
President Board of Commissioners
to the Philippine Islands
Executive Mansion, April 7, 1900.
The Secretary of War,
Washington.
Sir : In the message transmitted to the Congress on the 5th of
December, 1899,1 said, speaking of the Philippine Islands:
"As long as the insurrection continues the mihtary arm must
necessarily be supreme. But there is no reason why steps
should not be taken from time to time to inaugurate govern-
ments essentially popular in their form as fast as territory is
held and controlled by our troops. To this end I am consider-
ing the advisabihty of the return of the commission, or such of
the members thereof as can be secured, to aid the existing author-
ities and facilitate this work throughout the islands."
To give effect to the intention thus expressed I have
appointed Hon. Wilham H. Taft, of Ohio ; Prof. Dean C.
Worcester, of Michigan ; Hon. Luke E. Wright, of Tennessee ;
Hon. Henry C. Ide, of Vermont, and Prof. Bernard Moses, of
CaUfornia, commissioners to the Philippine Islands to continue
and perfect the work of organizing and estabUshing civil gov-
ernment already commenced by the mihtary authorities, sub-
ject in all respects to any laws which Congress may hereafter
enact.
The commissioners named will meet and act as a board, and
the Hon. Wilham H. Taft is designated as president of the
board. It is probable that the transfer of authority from
mihtary commanders to civil officers will be gradual and will
occupy a considerable period. Its successful accomphshment
and the maintenance of peace and order in the meantime will
require the most perfect cooperation between the civil and
military authorities in the island, and both should be directed
during the transition period by the same Executive Department.
The commission will therefore report to the secretary of war,
and all their action will be subject to your approval and control.
You will instruct the commission to proceed to the city of
Manila, where they will make their principal office, and to com-
municate with the mihtary governor of the Phihppine Islands,
whom you will at the same time direct to render to them every
assistance within his power in the performance of their duties.
Without hampering them by too specific instructions, they
VOL. II — 2x
982 APPENDIX
should in general be enjoined, after making themselves familiar
with the conditions and needs of the country, to devote their
attention in the first instance to the estabhshment of munici-
pal governments, in which the natives of the islands, both in
the cities and in the rural communities, shall be afforded the
opportunity to manage their own local affairs to the fullest
extent of which they are capable, and subject to the least
degree of supervision and control which a careful study of their
capacities and observation of the workings of native control
show to be consistent with the maintenance of law, order and
loyalty.
The next subject in order of importance should be the organ-
ization of government in the larger administrative divisions
corresponding to counties, departments or provinces, in which
the common interests of many or several municipalities falHng
within the same tribal lines, or the same natural geographical
limits, may best be subserved by a common administration.
Whenever the commission is of the opinion that the condition
of affairs in the islands is such that the central administration
may safely be transferred from military to civil control, they
will report that conclusion to you, with thei recommendations
as to the form of central government to be established for the
purpose of taking over the control.
Beginning with the 1st day of September, 1900, the author-
ity to exercise, subject to my approval, through the secretary
of war, that part of the power of government in the Philippine
Islands which is of a legislative nature is to be transferred from
the military governor of the islands to this commission, to be
thereafter exercised by them in the place and stead of the mili-
tary governor, under such rules and regulations as you shall
prescribe, until the establishment of the civil central govern-
ment for the islands contemplated in the last foregoing para-
graph, or until Congress shall otherwise provide. Exercise of
this legislative authority will include the making of rules and
orders, having the effect of law, for the raising of revenue by
taxes, customs duties and imposts ; the appropriation and
expenditure of public funds of the islands ; the establishment
of an educational system throughout the islands ; the estab-
lishment of a system to secure an efficient civil service ; the or-
ganization and establishment of courts ; the organization and
establishment of municipal .and departmental governments,
and all other matters of a civil nature for which the military
governor is now competent to provide by rules or orders of a
legislative character.
APPENDIX 983
The commission will also have power during the same period
to appoint to office such officers under the judicial, educational
and civil-service systems and in the municipal and departmental
governments as shall be provided for. Until the complete
transfer of control the military governor will remain the chief
executive head of the government of the islands, and wij
exercise the executive authority now possessed by him and not
herein expressly assigned to the commission, subject, however,
to the rules and orders enacted by the commission in the exer-
cise of the legislative powers conferred upon them. In the
meantime the municipal and departmental governments will
continue to report to the military governor and be subject to
his administrative supervision and control, under your direc-
tion, but that supervision and control will be confined within
the narrowest limits consistent with the requirement that the
powers of government in the municipalities and departments
shall be honestly and effectively exercised and that law and
order and individual freedom shall be maintained.
All legislative rules and orders, establishments of govern-
ment, and appointments to office by the commission will
take effect immediately, or at such times as they shall designate,
subject to your approval and action upon the coming in of the
commission's reports, which are to be made from time to time
as their action is taken. Wherever civil governments are
constituted imder the direction of the commission, such military
posts, garrisons and forces will be continued for the suppres-
sion of insurrection and brigandage, and the maintenance of
law and order, as the military commander shall deem requisite,
and the military forces shall be at all times subject under his
orders to the call of the civil authorities for the maintenance of
law and order and the enforcement of their authority.
In the establishment of municipal governments the com-
mission will take as the basis of their work the governments
established by the military governor under his order of August 8,
1899, and mider the report of the board constituted by the
military governor by his order of January 29, 1900, to formulate
and report a plan of municipal government, of which his honour
Cayetano Arellano, president of the audiencia, was chairman,
and they will give to the conclusions of that board the weight
and consideration which the high character and distinguished
abilities of its members justify.
In the constitution of departmental or provincial govern-
ments, they will give especial attention to the existing govern-
ment of the island of Negros, constituted, with the approval of
984 APPENDIX
the people of that island, under the order of the military gov-
ernor of July 22, 1899, and after verifjang, so far as may be
practicable, the reports of the successful working of that govern-
ment, they will be guided by the experience thus acquired, so
far as it may be applicable to the condition existing in other
portions of the Philippines. They will avail themselves, to
the fullest degree practicable, of the conclusions reached by
the previous commission to the Philippines.
In the distribution of powers among the governments or-
ganized by the commission, the presumption is always to be in
favour of the smaller subdivision, so that all the powers which
can properly be exercised by the municipal government shall
be vested in that government, and all the powers of a more
general character which can be exercised by the departmental
government shall be vested in that government, and so that
in the governmental system, which is the result of the process,
the central government of the islands, following the example
of the distribution of the powers between the states and the
national government of the United States, shall have no direct
administration except of matters of purely general concern,
and shall have only such supervision and control over local
governments as may be necessary to secure and enforce faithful
and efficient administration by local officers.
The many different degrees of civilization and varieties of
custom and capacity among the people of the different islands
preclude very definite instruction as to the part which the
people shall take in the selection of their own officers ; but
these general rules are to be observed: That in all cases the
municipal officers, who administer the local affairs of the people,
are to be selected by the people, and that wherever officers of
more extended jurisdiction are to be selected in any way, natives
of the islands are to be preferred, and if they can be found
competent and \\'illing to perform the duties, they are to re-
ceive the offices in preference to any others.
It will ])e necessary to fill some offices for the present with
Americans which after a time may well be filled by natives of
the islands. As soon as practicable a system for ascertaining
the merit and fitness of candidates for civil office should be
put in force. An indispensable qualification for all offices and
positions of trust and authority in the islands must be absolute
and unconditional loyalty to the United States, and absolute
and unhampered authority and power to remove and punish
any officer de\iating from that standard must at all times be
retained in the hands of the central authority of the islands.
APPENDIX 985
In all the forms of government and administrative provi-
sions in which they are authorized to prescribe, the commission
should bear in mind that the government which they are
establishing is designed not for our satisfaction, or for the
expression of our theoretical views, but for the happiness, peace
and prosperity of the i^eople of the Philippine Islands, and the
measures adopted should be made to conform to their customs,
their habits and even their prejudices, to the fullest extent
consistent with the accomplishment of the indispensable
requisites of just and effective government.
At the same time the commission should bear in mind, and
the people of the islands should be made plainly to understand,
that there are certain great principles of government which
have been made the basis of our governmental system which
we deem essential to the rule of law and the maintenance of
individual freedom, and of which they have, unfortunately,
been denied the experience possessed by us ; that there are
also certain practical rules of government which we have
found to be essential to the preservation of these great princi-
ples of liberty and law, and that these principles and these rules
of government must be established and maintained in their
islands for the sake of their liberty and happiness, however
much they may conflict vfith the customs or laws of procedure
with which they are familiar.
It is evident that the most enlightened thought of the PhiHp-
pine Islands fully appreciates the importance of these principles
and rules, and they will inevitably within a short time command
universal assent. Upon every division and branch of the gov-
ernment of the Philippines, therefore, must be imposed these
inviolable rules :
That no person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property
without due process of law ; that private property shall not be
taken for public use without just compensation ; that in all
criminal prosecutions the accused shall enjoy the right to a
speedy and public trial, to be informed of the nature and cause
of the accusation, to be confronted with the witnesses against
him, to have compulsory process for obtaining -ndtnesses in
his favour, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defence ;
that excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines
imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishment inflicted ; that no
person shall be put twice in jeopardy for the same offence, or
be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against
himself; that the right to be secure against unreasonable
searches and seizures shall not be violated ; that neither slavery
986 APPENDIX
nor involuntary servitude shall exist except as a punishment
for crime ; that no bill of attainder, or ex-post-facto law shall
be passed ; that no law shall be passed abridging the freedom of
speech or of the press, or the rights of the people to peaceably
assemble and petition the Government for a redress of griev-
ances ; that no law shall be made respecting an establishment
of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, and that the
free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship
without discrimination or preference shall forever be allowed.
It will be the duty of the commission to make a thorough
investigation into the titles to the large tracts of land held or
claimed by individuals or by religious orders ; into the justice
of the claims and complaints made against such landholders
by the people of the island or any part of the people, and to
seek by wise and peaceable measure, a just settlement of the
controversies and redress of TVTongs which have caused strife
and bloodshed in the past. In the performance of this duty
the commission is enjoined to see that no injustice is done;
to have regard for substantial rights and equity, disregarding
technicalities so far as substantial right permits, and to observe
the following rules :
That the pro\asion of the Treaty of Paris, pledging the
United States to the protection of all rights of property in the
islands, and as well the principle of our ovra Government which
prohibits the taking of private property without due process
of law, shall not be violated ; that the welfare of the people of
the islands, which should be a paramount consideration, shall
be attained consistently with this rule of property right ;
that if it becomes necessary for the public interest of the people
of the islands to dispose of claims to property which the com-
mission finds to be not lawfully acquired and held disposition
shall be made thereof by due legal procedure, in which there
shall be full opportunity for fair and impartial hearing and
judgment ; that if the same public interests require the extin-
guishment of property rights lawfully acquired and held due
compensation shall be made out of the public treasury therefor ;
that no form of rehgion and no minister of religion shall be
forced upon any community or upon any citizen of the islands ;
that upon the other hand no minister of religion shall be inter-
fered with or molested in following his caUing, and that the
separation between state and church shall be real, entire and
absolute.
It will be the duty of the commission to promote and extend,
and, as they find occasion, to improve, the system of education
APPENDIX 987
already inaugurated by the military authorities. In doing
this they should regard as of first importance the extension of
a system of primary education which shall be free to all, and
which shall tend to fit the people for the duties of citizenship
and for the ordinary avocations of a civilized community. This
instruction should be given in the first instance in every part
of the islands in the language of the people. In view of the
great number of languages spoken by the different tribes, it is
especially important to the prosperity of the islands that a
common medium of communication may be established, and
it is obviously desirable that this medium should be the English
language. Especial attention should be at once given to
affording full opportunity to all the people of the islands to
acquire the use of the English language.
It may be well that the main changes which should be made
in the system of taxation and in the body of the laws under
which the people are governed, except such changes as have
already been made by the military government, should be
relegated to the civil government which is to be established
under the auspices of the commission. It will, however, be
the duty of the commission to inquire dihgently as to whether
there are any further changes which ought not be delayed;
and if so, they are authorized to make such changes, subject
to your approval. In doing so they are to bear in mind that
taxes which tend to penalize or repress industry and enterprise
are to be avoided ; that provisions for taxation should be simple,
so that they may be understood by the people ; that they
should affect the fewest practicable sul)jects of taxation which
will serve for the general distribution of the burden.
The main body of the laws which regulate the rights and
obhgations of the people should be maintained with as little
interference as possible. Changes made should be mainly in
procedure, and in the criminal laws to secure speedy and im-
partial trials, and at the same time effective administration
and respect for individual rights.
In dealing with the uncivilized tribes of the islands the com-
mission should adopt the same course followed by Congress in
permitting the tribes of our North American Indians to main-
tain their tribal organization and government, and under which
many of those tribes are now living in peace and contentment,
surrounded by a civilization to which they are unable or un-
willing to conform. Such tribal governments should, however,
be subjected to wise and firm regulation ; and, without undue
or petty interference, constant and active effort should be exer-
988 APPENDIX
cised to prevent barbarous practices and introduce civilized
customs.
Upon all officers and employees of the United States, both
civil and military, should be impressed a sense of the duty to
observe not merely the material but the personal and social
rights of the people of the islands, and to treat them ^vith the
same courtesy and respect for their personal dignity which the
people of the United States are accustomed to require from
each other.
The articles of capitulation of the city of Manila on the 13th
of August, 1898, concluded with these words :
"This city, its inhabitants, its churches and religious wor-
ship, its educational establishments, and its private property
of all descriptions, are placed under the special safeguard of
the faith and honour of the American army."
I believe that this pledge has been faitMully kept. As high
and sacred an obligation rests upon the Government of the
United States to give protection for property and life, civil and
religious freedom, and wise, firm and unselfish guidance in
the paths of peace and prosperity to all the people of the Phil-
ippine Islands. I charge this commission to labour for the full
performance of this obligation which concerns the honour and
conscience of their country, in the firm hope that through their
labours all the inhabitants of the Philippine Islands may come to
look back with gratitude to the day when God gave victory to
American arms at Manila and set their land under the sover-
eignty and the protection of the people of the United States.
William McKinlet.
THE PAST AND PRESENT ORGANIZATION OF THE
COURTS OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS'
During the last years of Spanish sovereignty the courts
in the Philippine Islands consisted of superior courts,
which were the audiencia territorial de Manila, the au-
diencia de lo criminal de Cebu, and the audiencia de lo
criminal de Vigan; the courts of first instance, and jus-
tice of the peace courts.
I I am indebted to the Honourable Gregorio Araneta, secretary of
finance and justice, for a summary statement of the judicial reforms
effected since the American occupation, on which this statement is
largely based. — D. C. W.
APPENDIX 989
The audiencia territorial de Manila exercised jurisdiction
in civil matters over the entire PhiUppine archipelago ; in
criminal matters it exercised jurisdiction over the central
and southern provinces of Luz6n and over the islands of
Catanduanes, Mindoro, Burias, Masbate and Ticao.
Its legal personnel consisted of a president of the court ;
two presidents of branches, one of the civil, and the other
of the criminal ; mne justices (magistrados) ; four associ-
ate justices {magistrados suplentes) ; one fiscal; one
lieutenant-^scaZ, and three fiscal attorneys ; five secre-
taries and four law clerks who were assistant secretaries.
The audiencia de lo criminal of Vigan and that of
Cebu had only criminal jurisdiction, the former over the
northern part of Luz6n and the Batanes Islands and the
latter over the Visayan Islands and Mindanao. Each of
these courts had a president, two justices, two associate
justices, one fiscal, one lieutenant-^scaZ, a secretary and
one law clerk who was assistant secretary.
There was at least one court of first instance in each
province. In some, like Batangas, Ambos Camarines,
Samar, Leyte, Cebu and Negros, there were two. In
Iloilo there were three and in Manila four. These courts
were divided into three classes designated as follows :
de entrada; de ascenso; and de termino.
Subject to the jurisdiction of the audiencia territorial
de Manila, there were eight jusgados de termino; five
jusgados de ascenso, and fourteen jusgados de entrada.
Under the criminal jurisdiction of the audiencia terri-
torial of Vigan there were three jusgados de termino, one
jusgado de ascenso and sixteen jusgados de entrada. Under
the audiencia territorial of Cebu there were two jusgados
de termino and thirty jusgados de ascenso.
In each court of first instance there was a prosecut-
ing attorney (promotor fiscal) . In each pueblo there was
a justice of the peace subject in his criminal and civil
jurisdiction to the judge of first instance of the prov-
ince. In criminal matters the justice of the peace courts
990 APPENDIX
as well as the courts of first instance were subject to the
audiencia territorial of Manila.
At the present time the courts of justice of the islands
consist of a supreme court, courts of first instance and
justice of the peace courts.
The supreme court, which is composed of one chief
justice and six associate justices, has civil and criminal
jurisdiction over all the islands.
In each province there is a court of first instance.
Several such courts are usually united to constitute a
judicial district, but this does not hold for the court of
first instance of the city of Manila, which is presided
over by three judges, each in his own court room, nor for
the court of first instance of Hollo, which constitutes
a district by itself. The remaining courts are divided
between seventeen districts.
The courts of the thirteenth and fourteenth districts
have concurrent jurisdiction over ah actions arising within
the district of Lanao of the Moro province, but the court
fu'st acquiring jurisdiction in any cause has exclusive
jurisdiction in the same.
There are foiu- judges at large, without territorial
jurisdiction of their own, any one of whom may be as-
signed by the secretary of finance and justice to act in
any district. He then has the same jurisdiction as its
judge. The services of judges at large are necessary when
the judge of any district is absent, or has vacated his
position, or when the business of a court requires the aid
of an assistant judge.
There further exists the court of land registration,
with one judge and five auxiliary judges. It has ex-
clusive jurisdiction over all applications for the regis-
tration of title to land or buildings or an interest therein.
It also has jurisdiction to confirm the titles of persons
who under the Spanish regime acquired imperfect titles
to pubHc lands, provided that such persons fulfill the
requirements of law for their perfection.
APPENDIX 991
There is now a justice of the peace court in each mu-
nicipality and by resolution of the Philippine Commission
there have been created justice of the peace courts in
townships and other centres of population which have
not been organized either as townships or municipaUties.
In the provinces of Nueva Vizcaya, Mindoro, Palawan,
Agusan and in the Mountain province, all of which are
organized under the special provincial government act,
the provincial governor, the pro\'incial secretary, the
provincial treasurer, the pro\'incial supervisor^ and
the deputy clerk of the court of first instance are jus-
tices of the peace ex officio with jurisdiction throughout
their respective provinces.
In the Moro province, which is divided into five dis-
tricts, called Jolo, Zamboanga, Lanao, Cotabato and
Davao, there are tribal ward courts which consider
and decide minor civil and criminal actions in which the
parties in interest, or any of them, are Moros or members
of other non-Christian tribes. These tribal ward courts
have with regard to these actions the same jurisdiction as
is vested by law in justice of the peace courts, but the
legislative council of the IMoro pro\dnce may in its
discretion vest in such courts jurisdiction in other actions,
civil or criminal but not capital, which is at present vested
in courts of first instance. In each district the governor
and secretary are justices of tribal ward courts and there
are as many auxiliarj' justices as may be needed. The
sentences of the tribal ward courts, from which no
appeal is taken to the court of fu-st instance, may be
modified or remitted by the pro\ancial governor after a
review of the case.
In addition to these tribal ward courts there exist
justice of the peace courts in each municipality and the
governor-general may with the advice and approval of
the commission appoint justices of the peace for towns
or places in the Moro province which have not been or-
' The engineer officer of the pro\'ince.
992 APPENDIX
ganized into municipalities or which, although included
within the limits of an organized municipahty, are dis-
tant from or have no convenient means of access to centres
of population. The jurisdiction of the justices of the
peace for the municipalities in which such towns or places
are situated, and of the justices of the peace appointed
for such towns or places, are concurrent over cases arising
within the municipality. The several justices of the
peace in any district of the Moro province exercise con-
current jurisdiction over cases arising within the district
but without the limits of an organized municipality, but'
the justice of the peace first acquiring jurisdiction over
any case has exclusive jurisdiction over it. The justices
of the peace in the Moro province have no jurisdiction
to try civil and criminal actions in which original juris-
diction is vested in tribal ward courts.
Under the present organization there exists a bureau
of justice with the following legal personnel : attorney-
general, solicitor-general, assistant attorney-general, and
eleven assistant attorneys. There is a provincial fiscal
in each province with the exception of the Moro province,
in which there are an attorney and an assistant attorney.
The city of Manila has, besides the city attorney and as-
sistant attorney, a prosecuting attorney with four as-
sistants.
Under the Spanish legislation, justices of the peace
had jurisdiction to try civil actions where the value of
the thing in htigation did not exceed five hundred pesetas
($50), and actions for unlawful detainer where the ac-
tion was based on one of the following grounds. The
completion of the term stipulated in the contract ; the
expiration of the time within which notice had to be given
for the conclusion of the contract, in accordance with
law ; the stipulations made or the general custom in each
pueblo ; and the failure to pay the price stipulated, pro-
vided that in neither of these three cases the object of
the action was dispossession of a mercantile or manu-
APPENDIX 993
facturing establishment, or of a rural property the annual
rental whereof exceeded two thousand five hundred pesetas
($250). They also had jurisdiction to try f alias, which
are criminal offences penalized with a fine not exceeding
five hundred pesetas ($50) or with aresto menor, which is
imprisonment not exceeding thirty days, and to conduct
the preliminary proceedings in crimes the jurisdiction
over which was vested in the courts of first instance.
Judges of first instance had original jurisdiction in all
civil actions except those in which original jurisdiction
was vested in justices of the peace and in actions for
crime (delitos). The sentences of judges of first instance
could be carried in appeal to the audicncia territorial of
Manila, and in the majority of cases the supreme court
of Spain could be petitioned for the cassation of the sen-
tences of the said audiencia territorial. The judges of
first instance also had appellate jurisdiction in cases of
appeal against the decisions rendered by justices of the
peace in actions in which the latter had original juris-
diction. All the sentences of the courts of first instance
in criminal cases, regardless of whether they were sen-
tences of conviction or of acquittal, had to be submitted
for review to the proper audiencia, the decision of the
former not being final without the approval of the latter.
From the decisions of the audiencia appeal lay in all cases
to the supreme court of Spain.
It naturally followed that legal proceedings were in-
terminable, and one of the worst things which could be-
fall an individual or a corporation in the Spanish days
was to become involved in a lawsuit. It is an unpleasant
thing to say, but the plain truth is that the character of
the judges in not a few instances left much to be desired.
Contrast with the endless complications of the above
arrangement the simplicity of that which prevails to-day.
Justices of the peace have exclusive original jurisdiction
in all civil actions arising in their municipalities which are
not exclusively cognizable by the courts of first instance,
994 APPENDIX
when the value of the subject-matter or amount of the
demand does not exceed $100, exclusive of interest and
costs ; and where such value or demand exceeds $100,
but is less than 1300, the justices of the peace have juris-
diction concurrent with the courts of fii-st instance.
They also have original jurisdiction in forcible entry and
detainer proceedings. They have no jurisdiction to ad-
judicate questions of title to real estate or any interest
therein, or in civil actions in which the subject of htiga-
tion is not capable of pecuniary estimation, except in
forcible entry and detainer cases, or in those which in-
volve the legaUty of any tax, impost, or assessment, or in
actions invohdng admii-alty or marine jurisdiction, or in
matters of probate, the appointment of guardians, trus-
tees, or receivers, or in actions for annulment of mar-
riage. Justices of the peace, except in the city of Manila,
have original jurisdiction to try persons charged with
misdemeanors, offences and infractions of municipal
ordinances, arising within the municipality, in which the
penalty provided by law does not exceed six months im-
prisonment or a fine of $100, or both such imprisonment
and fine. In the city of Manila the justice of the peace
does not have this jurisdiction ; there it is left to a
municipal judge, who has jurisdiction to try all the
infractions of ordinances and has a more ample juris-
diction to try misdemeanors and crimes against the
general laws of the islands. Justices of the peace, ex-
cept in the city of Manila, also have jurisdiction to con-
duct prehminary proceedings in all crimes and misde-
meanors supposed to have been committed within their
municipahties and cognizable by the courts of first in-
stance.
The jurisdiction of courts of first instance is of two
kinds, original and appellate. Courts of first instance
have original jurisdiction : in all civil actions in which
the subject of litigation is not capable of pecuniary es-
timation; in all civil actions which involve the title to
APPENDIX 995
or possession of real property, or any interest therein,
or the legahty of any tax, impost, or assessment, except
actions of forcible entry into or detainer of lands or build-
ings ; in all cases in which the demand, exclusive of the
interest or the value of the property in controversy,
amounts to $100 or more ; in all actions in admiralty or
maritime jurisdiction, irrespective of the value of the
property in controversy and the amount of the demand ;
in all matters of probate, both of testate and intestate
estates, appointment of guardians, trustees, and receivers,
in all actions for annulment of marriage, and in all such
special cases and proceedings as are not otherwise pro-
vided for ; in all criminal cases in which a penalty of more
than six months imprisonment or a fine exceeding $100
may be imposed; in all crimes and offences committed
on the high seas or beyond the jm'isdiction of any country,
or within any of the navigable waters of the Philippine
Islands, on board a ship or water craft of any kind regis-
tered or Ucensed in the Phihppine Islands in accordance
with the laws thereof. This jm'isdiction may be exer-
cised by the court of first instance in any province into
which the ship or water craft upon which the crime or
offence was committed may come after the commission
thereof, but the court first lawfully taking cognizance
thereof has jurisdiction of the same to the exclusion of
all other courts in the Philippine Islands. Lastly, courts
of first instance have power to issue writs of injunction,
mandamus, certiorari, proliibition, quo warranto, and
habeas corpus in their respective provinces and districts,
in the manner provided in the code of civU procedure.
Com'ts of first instance have appellate jm'isdiction over
all causes arising in justices' and other inferior courts in
their respective provinces.
The supreme court of the Phihppine Islands has origi-
nal jurisdiction to issue writs of mandamus, certiorari,
prohibition, habeas corpus, and quo warranto in the cases
and in the manner prescribed in the code of civil pro-
996 APPENDIX
cednre, and to hear and determine the controversies thus
brought before it, and in other cases provided by law.
The supreme court of the United States, according to
the Phihppine bill, has juriscUction to review, revise,
reverse, modify, or affirm the final judgments and de-
crees of the supreme court of the Philippine Islands in
all actions, cases, causes, and proceedings pending therein
in which the constitution or any statute, treaty, title,
right or privilege of the United States is involved, or in
causes in which the value in controversy exceeds $25,000.
Probably not more than ten Fihpinos held judicial or
fiscal positions, except that of justice of the peace, under
Spanish rule. To-day, three of the seven justices of the
supreme court, ten of the twenty judges of districts,
two of the four judges at large, and three of the six judges
of the court of land registration are Fihpinos. In the
bureau of justice the attorney-general and seven assist-
ant attorneys are Filipinos. All of the provincial fiscals
are Filipinos with the exception of the fiscal of the Moro
province and the prosecuting attorney and the city
attorney of IManila. All of the justices of the peace
except those who serve ex officio are Filipinos, and the
secretarj^ of finance and justice is a Filipino as well.
Under the Spanish regime justices of the peace did not
receive salaries, nor was there any appropriation for the
payment of necessary clerical assistance, for office sup-
phes, or for rental of their court rooms. The fees which
the law allowed them to charge were their only compen-
sation. These were fifty cents for each civU case tried
and twenty-five cents when no trial was held on account
of failure to appear on the part of either the plaintiff or
defendant or of both.
In criminal cases the fees were seventy-five cents for
each case tried, but they could be collected only if the
defendant was adjudged to pay the costs and was solvent.
The compensation of justices of the peace was in prac-
tice hmited to the paltry fees in civil cases, which in many
APPENDIX 997
municipalities amounted to almost nothing owing to the
small number of such cases tried. Justices of the peace
were burdened with orders from the courts of first in-
stance for the service of process, and for this no compen-
sation was given them.
The only appropriations for office, personnel and sup-
plies of the courts of first instance were the following : two
Chinese interpreters and sixteen baihffs, drawing a yearly
salary of $48 for the four courts at Manila ; interpreters
drawng the following ridiculous salaries : S48 per annum
in some courts, $36 in others and in still others $24 ;
amanuenses whose salaries in some courts were $48 and
in others $36 per annum, while in yet other courts there
was no amount appropriated for their salaries. No
appropriation was made for clerks, officers, messengers
or bailiffs of the courts, for necessary office supplies or
for court-houses. The clerks of courts had to pay all
subordinate employees. They also had to pay for the
building of a court-house out of the money collected as
fees from litigants, and in many instances they were
compelled to pay for the dwelling place of the judge, who
ordinarily lived in the court-house.
The salaries of judicial officers and fiscals were also
very meager. The prosecuting attorney of a court de
entrada was paid $750 per annum ; the judge of a court
of first instance de entrada, the prosecuting attorney
de ascenso, and the secretaries of the audiencia de lo crim-
inal, all of whom had the same rank, di'ew salaries of
$937.50 per annum. The judge of first instance de
ascenso, the prosecuting attorney de termino and the
secretaries of the audiencia territorial de Manila were
paid $1125 per annum. The judges of courts of first
instance de termino and the attorneys of the audiencia
territorial of Manila and the assistant attorneys of the
audiencias de lo criminal of Vigan and Cebu drew a
salary of $1375 per annum. The assistant fiscal of the
audiencia territorial of Manila and the justices of the
VOL. II — 2 k
998 APPENDIX
audiencias de lo criminal of Vigan and Cebu, $1750.
The justices of the audiencia territorial of Manila and
the presidents and fiscals of the audiencias de lo criminal
of Vigan and Cebu received $2125 per annum. The
president of the audiencia territorial of Manila and the
presidents of the departments of said court and its fiscal
received $25 per annum. The president of the audiencia
territorial of Manila had an additional allowance of $750,
and the presidents of the departments and fiscal of said
court had $250 each for entertainment expenses.
At present, justices of the peace in first, second, third,
and fourth class municipalities receive yearly salaries
of $480, $420, $360 and $300, respectively. The justice
of the peace of Manila receives $1800. The justices of
the peace of Iloilo and Cebu receive $1200 each ; those
of the provincial capitals of Albay, Ambos Camarines,
Batangas, Bulacan, Ilocos Sur, Occidental Negros, Pam-
panga, Pangasinan and Tayabas, $900 each ; those of
Cagayan, Capiz, Cavite, Ilocos Norte, Laguna, Rizal,
Samar and Sorsogon, $750 each ; those of the remaining
provincial capitals and of any municipalities considered
as capitals of provinces organized under the provincial
government act, $600 each.
Every municipality is required to provide the justice
of the peace with an adequate court room and the nec-
essary office furniture, light, and janitor service. Office
supplies, such as stationery, stamps, printed forms, books,
etc., are furnished by the bureau of justice and paid for
from the appropriation for said bureau.
Clerks and other subordinate employees of the courts
of first instance now have regular salaries prescribed by
law, and the salaries of judges are sufficient to allow them
to live comfortably and wth the independence and
decorum which befit their official positions. Judges at
large and some district judges receive $4500 per annum ;
other district judges, $5000 per annum ; judges in the
city of Manila, $5500. The judge of the couit of land
APPENDIX
999
registration receives $5000 and the assistant judges are
paid $4000 each with promotion to $4500 after two years
of service. The chief justice and associate justices of
the supreme court receive $10,000 each.
THE NON-CHRISTIAN POPULATION
The following table gives the present accepted estimate
of the non-Christian population of the provinces as now
organized, together with the census estimate : —
PhOTINCE OB SUB-PEOVINCB
Present Accepted
Estimate
Abra ....
Agusan ....
Albay ....
Amburayan .
Ambos Camarines
Apayao . . .
Antique . . .
Bataan . . .
Batanes . . .
Batangas . . .
Benguet . . .
Bohol ....
Bontoc ....
Bulacan . . .
Cagayan . . .
Capiz ....
Catanduanes . .
Cavite ....
Cebu ....
IIocos Norte . .
Ilocos Sur . . .
Iloilo ....
Ifugao ....
Jsabela ....
Kalinga
La Laguna . .
La Union .
Lepanto
{Lepanto-Bontoc)
Carried forward
14,037
85,000
892
10,191
5,933
20,000
2,921
1,621
000
000
28,449
000
62,000
415
15,000
5,629
000
000
000
2,210
13,611
6,383
125,000
7,638
76,000
(?)
000
31,194
514,124
1000
APPENDIX
Province ob Sob-province
Censtjs Estimate
Present Accepted
Estimate
Brought forward
Leyte ....
Marinduque . .
Masbate . . .
Mindoro .
Misamis
Moro Province .
Negros Occidental
Negros Oriental
Nueva Ecija . .
Nueva Vizcaya .
Palawan .
Pampanga . .
Pangasinan . .
Rizal ....
Romblon .
Samar ....
Siquijor . . .
Sorsogon . . .
Surigao
Tarlac ....
Tayabas . . .
Zambales . . .
Total . .
176,865
000
000
000
7,264
40,210
316,664
4,612
16,605
1,148
46,515
6,844
1,098
3,386
2,421
000
688
41
15,814
1,594
2,803
3,168
514,124
000
000
000
15,000
000
486,316
4,612
16,605
862
6,000
20,000
1,098
3,386
2,421
50
1,390
000
41
(?)
1,594
2,803
3,168
647,740
1,071,832
Certain of the items in this table require brief explana-
tion. In it the name of each province or sub-province
for which the census estimate has been departed from is
italicized.
Agusan. This province did not exist when the census
was taken. It has since been carved out of the territory
which formerly belonged to Surigao and Misamis. The
figures given, based largely on actual enumeration, are
approximately correct.
Amburayan. This sub-province formed a part of South
Ilocos at the time of the census enumeration. It does not
appear that any account was taken of its non-Christian
population.
Apayao. The territory of tliis sub-province was a part
APPENDIX 1001
of the province of Cagaj^an at the time of the census
enumeration. The estimate is that of its present lieu-
tenant-governor. Lieutenant-Governor Villamor esti-
mated its population at 53,000, but this figure was un-
doubtedly too high.
Antique. The non-Christian population of this prov-
ince is probably given too low by the census, but I have
allowed the census figures to stand.
Batanes. This province did not exist at the time the
census was taken.
Benguet. The present figures axe based on an accurate
enumeration.
Bontoc. The territory included within this sub-province
has been greatly changed since the census was taken. The
present figures are based on a recent enumeration.
Cagayan. The present figures were furnished me by
Governor Antonio Carag on April 16, 1913. They repre-
sent only the supposed Negrito population of the eastern
Cordillera. There are other non-Christians in the prov-
ince, but their number is not known.
Ilocos Norte. The census estimate is undoubtedly too
low, but is nevertheless adopted, in fault of new and more
reUable information.
Ifugao. No such political subdivision existed when the
census was taken. This territory then formed a part of
Nueva Vizcaya. A recent fairly accurate enumeration
has shown the original estimate of the population of Nueva
Vizcaya to be grossly in error.
Isabela. This province has lost a part of its non-
Christian population to Ifugao and a part to Kahnga.
There remain some Kalingas and numerous Negritos east
of the Cagayan River, but I have no reasonably accurate
estimate of their numbers. The figures given are prob-
ably too low.
Kalinga. This sub-province did not exist at the time
of the census enumeration. The figures given are quite
accurate.
1002 APPENDIX
La Union. This province has lost all of its non-Chris-
tian population by transfer to Benguet and Amburayan.
Lepanto. The figures now given for Lepanto are ac-
curate.
Lepanto-Bontoc. Carried in the first column, but no
entry made in the second because a direct comparison
between the territory which was included in this province
and the corresponding portions of the existing Mountain
Province is not practicable.
Mindoro. No accurate count of the Mangyans of
Mindoro has ever been made, but since the census enu-
meration the island has been crossed in a number of places
and the estimate now given is beUeved to be reasonably
conservative.
Misarnis. This province has lost its non-Christian
population to the sub-province of Bukidnon.
The Moro Province, as at present constituted, corre-
sponds to the former districts of Basilan, Cotabato, Dapi-
tan, Davao, Jolo, Siasi, Tawi Tawi and Zamboanga, so
that a direct comparison between the census estimate and
the present estimate is possible. The figures given were
recently furnished me by the secretary of the province.
They are admittedly inaccurate, but are beheved to be
approximately correct.
Nuem Ecija. This province has lost its Ilongot popu-
lation to Nueva Vizcaya.
Niieva Vizcaya. Nueva Vizcaya has lost its Ifugao
population to the Mountain Province, but has gained those
Ilongots formerly credited to Isabela, Tayabas, Nueva
Ecija and Pangasindn, the net result being a heavy loss in
non-Christian population.
Palawan. The province of Palawan corresponds closely
to the territory included in Paragua Norte and Paragua
Sur at the time of the census enumeration so that a direct
comparison is possible. There was no real attempt to
enumerate the non-Christian inhabitants of this province
for the census. Of Moros alone there are some five
APPENDIX 1003
thousand. There are said to be approximately ten thou-
sand Tagbanuas in the country tributary to the region
along the banks of the Iwahig River, which empties into
Coral Bay. It is further claimed that there are some five
thousand more back of Bonabona Point. This does not
take into account the Tagbanua population on the west
coast, nor that of the other Iwahig valley near Puerto
Princesa ; nor does it include the Tagbanuas inhabiting
the islands of Dumaran, Dinapahan, Bulalacao, Penon de
Coron, Culion and Busuanga. I here place the non-
Christian population of the province at twenty thousand,
but believe this figm-e rather low.
Romblon. There are some fifty non-Christians in this
sub-province, survivors of a much larger number who
formerly Hved in Tablas and Sibuyan.
Samar. The figures here given are those of a recent
estimate by the lieutenant-governor of the hill people of
that island. Most of the hill people are rated as Fih-
pinos.
Surigao. Surigao has lost most of its non-Christian
population to the sub-province of Butuan, but still has a
considerable number of Manobos and Negritos and the
figures given are far too low.
INDEX
Abacd (Manila hemp), culture of, and
statistics of trade in, 891-S93.
Abaya, Lino, non-Christian delegate
to Aguinaldo's congress, 20.3.
Abaya, wild Tingian, story of, 549-
551.
Abra, conditions in province of, under
Insurgent rule, 208-209 ; estimates
of population, 999.
Abra River, trip up the, 344.
Abuliig River, voyage down the, 552-
553.
Acevedo, Fernando, 95 ff.
Administration of justice in the Philip-
pines, 400-^07, 988-999.
Agius, Monsignor, 445.
Agoncillo, Filipino Insurgent, letters
of, 53, 58, 63, 68, 70, 71-72 ; murder
of Spanish recommended to Agui-
naldo by, 731.
Agricultural education in Philippine
schools, 509-511.
Agricultural lands, action desirable
concerning, 842-844.
Agriculture, conditions as to, in Min-
doro, 221 ; general conditions as
to, 885 ff. ; primitive state of de-
velopment of, 888, 896-897, 943.
Aguinaldo, Baldomero, attempt of, to
open communication with Sultan
of Jolo, 229 ; secretary of war and
navy in Insurgent president's cabi-
net, 266; mentioned, 731.
Aguinaldo, Emilio, 17; deceitful state-
ments by, concerning promises of
Filipino independence, 19 ff. ; in-
surrection of 1896 against Spain
led by, 20; deportation of, 20-21 ;
political activities of, in exile, 21 ff. ;
meeting between Consul Pratt and,
at Singapore, 25-26 ; statement of.
concerning Pratt's promise of recog-
nition of Filipino independence. 26-
27; Pratt's work to secure coopera-
tion of, with American fleet, 27-28 ;
omits all mention of promise of in-
dependence at meeting of Hong-
kong junta, 39; returns to Philip-
pines and meets Admiral Dewey,
46 ff. ; reports of conversation with
Dewey, 47-52 ; truth about claim
concerning promises of independ-
ence, 52 ff. ; deceitful proclama-
tions issued by, 56 ; relations
between General Anderson and,
60-62 ; consideration of extent of
cooperation of, with American
forces, 70 ff. ; assumption of civil
authority by, upon capitulation of
Spanish, 91 ; makes plans to get
rid of United States troops, 127-
134 ; proclamation of January 5,
1899, equivalent to a declaration
of war, 137 ; plans for attack on
Americans, and murder of General
Otis, 137-142; character of war-
fare outlined by, in general orders,
140-142; attack begun by (Feb-
ruarj' 4, 1899), 146-147; conditions
in various pro\'inces during rule of,
152-241 ; action upon receiving
news of killing of American sol-
diers by Insurgents in Cavite, 213 ;
the kind of "republic" that would
have been set up by, 242-243 ; evo-
lution of the government set up by,
244 ff. ; conduct of the war by,
270-286 ; capture of, 287 ; address
issued to Filipino people by, 287-
288; guest of Mr. Forbes at
Baguio, 470; murder authorized
by, as a governmental measure, 730
ff. ; meeting of former Insurgent
officers M house of, in 1913, 937:
Agusan, province of, divided into Bu-
kidnon and Batuan, 612-613 ; slave-
taking raids into, 711; estimates of
population, 999, 1000.
Agusan River, trip up the, 613-617;
description of, 615, 800.
Ahern, Major George P., chief of
Forestry Bureau, 849.
1005
1006
INDEX
Albacore, game fish, 815.
Albay, consideration of disorders in
(1902-03), 388-392; estimates of
population, 999.
Algue, Father Jos6, assistance given
first Philippine Commission by,
323-324; director of Philippine
Weather Bureau, 886.
Amberjack fish, 815.
Ambos Cambarines, conditions in,
under Insurgent rule, 215-216.
Amburayan, territory of, 574-575 ;
estimate of population, 999, 1000.
Anderson, General, charged by Judge
Blount with not keeping faith with
Filipinos, 19-20 ; relations between
Aguinaldo and, 60-62 ; behaviour
of Aguinaldo toward, upon occupa-
tion of Manila, 87-96.
Anderson, Lieutenant George P., city
superintendent of schools for
Manila, 504.
Animal diseases, campaign against,
904-905, 929.
Annexation of Philippines to United
States, advocates of, 73-76.
Anting-anting charm, 945-946, 959.
Antique Province, estimate of popula-
tion, 999, 1001.
Anti-slavery legislation, assembly de-
feats efforts to pass, 698-714.
Apacible, Dr. Galicano, 40, 41, 51 ;
views of, on proper government for
Philippines, 72-73 ; author's inter-
view with, in Hongkong, 304.
Aparri, atrocities of Insurgent officers
at, 171-174.
Apayao, journey across, 549-556 ;
comparatively slow progress in de-
velopment of, under American
regime, 580-582 ; estimate of popu-
lation, 999, 1000.
Apostol, Cecilio, description of condi-
tions in Pangasinin by, 165-167.
Apo Volcano, 79S.
Araueta, Gregorio, secretary of finance
. and justice, 669, 988 n.
Araneta, Juan, on advantage of white
blood in Filipinos, 939-940.
Area of land in Philippines, 792.
Arellano, Cagetano, 321, 327.
Arguelles, Colonel, 277 ; calls on
Philippine Commission to ask for
temporary suspension of hostilities.
312-313 ; punishment of. for favour-
able reports of Americans, 314.
Army, harsh treatment of soldiers in
Aguinaldo's, 270-271 ; abuses com-
mitted by the Insurgent, 271 ;
reasons for substituting constabu-
lary for, for policing Philippines,
383-38S.
Artacho, Is.abelo, document descrip-
tive of Insurgent rule by, 237-240.
Arthur, Colonel William H., quoted
in connection with Baguio, 484-495.
Arts and Trades, School of, in Manila,
507.
Ashburn, Major P. M., quoted on im-
portance of hill stations in the
tropics, 483-484.
Assassination under the Insurgent
regime, 730-731, 732 £f.
Assembly, the Philippine, 357, 768 ff. ;
interest of members in maintenance
of peonage, leads to blocking of
anti-slavery legislation, 698-729,
773 ; apportionment of delegates
to, 769 ; election to first, 769-770 ;
creation of, premature, 772 ; divi-
sion of powers with commission,
772 ; blocking of important and
desirable measures by, 772-775 ;
consideration of some of the bills in-
troduced, 776-788 ; commission bills
disapproved by, 788-790; dangers
of vicious legislation by, 790-791 ;
neither character of members nor
legislation passed has justified its
establishment, 791.
Athletics, education of Filipinos in,
514-516; growth of interest in, 522.
Atkins, Lieutenant L. D., 397, 549.
Atkinson. Dr. Fred W., superintendent
of public instruction, 504.
Automobile roads, 804-805.
B
Bacuit Bay, scenery in, 805.
Baguio, hospital at, 435 ; visit of
members of second Philippine Com-
mission to, 451—455 ; Governor
Taft's restoration to health by stay
at, 459 ; completion of Benguet
Road to, 460-463 ; development of,
464 £f. ; country club at, 464-467 ;
residence of governor-general and
hospital at, 467 ; the Teachers'
Camp, 468-469: further develop-
ment of, 470-471 ; damage from
tj-phoons to, 471-472 ; boom at, in
INDEX
1007
1910, 473-474; present flourishing
conditions at, 475-476 ; descrip-
tion of scenery and climate, 476-
479; railroad to, 481-482; im-
portance of hill stations in the
tropics emphasized in connection
with, 482-486 ; fate of, not in dan-
ger even under Filipino control of
legislature, 487; trade of Benguet
Igorots to, 569 ; as a centre for
tourist trips, 803-804.
Bakidan, Kalinga guide, 539-547.
Bandjao, extinct volcano, 803.
Bananas, demand for, and present
slight cultivation of, 899, 901 ; re-
turns from planting, 902.
Banaue, visit to, 535-538.
Bandholdtz, General, in Albay, 390-
391 ; quoted on the bandit Rios,
949-950.
Banking statistics, 916.
Barbarism, tendency of Filipinos to
lapse into, 608-609, 957-960.
Barbour, hunter killed by wild carabao,
823.
Baretto, Alberto, visit to first Philip-
pine Commission from, 315-317.
Barracudas, fishing for, 806-808 ; vari-
eties and size, 815.
Basa, J. M., letters and proclamations
by, 36-38 : forged letter issued in
name of, 67-68.
Baseball among Filipinos, 515.
Bataan, conditions in, under Insurgent
rule, 211.
Bataks of Palawan, 594.
Batangas, reconcentration practised by
General Bell in, 290-293; issue
taken with Blount on mortality
statistics of, 293-294; establish-
ment of civil government in, 337-
340.
Bell, Major Qater General) J. F., 109-
110, 112, 732; quoted, 113; recon-
centration practised by, in Batan-
gas, 290-293 ; on the attractions of
Baguio as a mountain resort, 478.
Benguet. legislative acts for establish-
ment of civil government in, 334-
335 ; first expedition of discovery
to, 451-455 ; sur%'ey of road to, 455-
456 ; act passed providing for gov-
erimient of, 559 ; estimate of popu-
lation, 999, 1001.
Benguet Igorots, civilization and edu-
cation of the, 567-572, 803.
Benguet Railroad, appropriation of
sum for survey of, 332.
Benguet Road, appropriation of money
for construction of, 333 ; survey
and construction of, 455 ff. ; cost
of, 457 ; completion of, by Colonel
Kennon, and final cost, 460-463 ;
excessive cost of maintenance, 472-
473.
Beri-beri, cause of, 391 ; measures
needful to eradicate, 429.
Biacnabat4, Treaty of, 20-21.
Bicols, numbers of, and delegates to
Insurgent congress, 263 ; census
statistics, 933.
Bilibid Prison, school for convicts in,
530-531.
Birds of the Philippines, 801.
Blount, James H., misstatements made
by, concerning PhiUppine affairs,
14-15 ; false charges of, as to
promises of independence to Fili-
pinos, 19-20; quoted concerning
Mr. Pratt and the Singapore meet-
ing to celebrate victories of Dewey
and Aguinaldo, 30 ff. ; further quo-
tations from and misstatements by,
34-36, 69, 93, 94; lays at wrong
door the responsibility for outbreak
of hostilities between Americans
and Filipinos, 150-151 ; on condi-
tions in the islands in the fall of
1898, 152, 153 ff. ; activities of, in
Pampanga, 158; horrible condi-
tions in Cagayan valley under In-
surgent rule known to, but con-
cealed by, 170-205 ; mild view
taken by, of Filipino torture of
Spanish, 190-191 ; frightful crimes
condoned by, 191-192 ; failure to
report to government the troubles
and disorders* in his province, 203-
204 ; views on Admiral Dewey's
report of conditions in Manila
Province under Insurgent rule, 210 ;
a flagrant example of the misstate-
ments -made by, 217-219 ; false
statements concerning Mindoro,
219-221 ; mistakes of, concerning
Palawan, 221-224; on the kind of
republic Aguinaldo would have
established, 242-243 ; on mortality
in Batangas as a consequence of the
war, 293-294 ; refutation of insinu-
ations by, concerning first Philip-
pine Commission, 302-303, 312,
1008
INDEX
322 ; false and contemptible char-
acterization of Colonel Donby by,
326 ; criticism by, of Philippine
Commission's action in establish-
ing civil governments in certain
provinces, 338 ; complaints of, rela-
tive to Philippine constabulary,
383 ; version given by, of disorders
in Albay, Samar, and Leyte, 388,
391, 392; chapter devoted by, to
"Non-Christian Worcester," 557-
558 ; abusive and insulting lan-
guage of, 558 ; corrections of state-
ments made by, concerning non-
Christian tribes, 637-659 ; con-
tradictory statements by, concern-
ing Insurgent barbarities, 753 ;
misstatements by, as to Manila's
position with reference to markets,
886-887 ; refutation of statements
of, as to " tariff- wrought poverty"
of Philippines, 91 1 ff. ; on marriages
between Americans and Filipinos,
940; on the domination of the
white man, 941 ; on the capacity
of Filipinos for self-government,
943 ; quotes Mr. Bryan on Filipino
independence, 961-962.
Blumentritt, inaccurate book on wild
tribes by, 534, 557.
Bohol, area and population of, 218;
establishment of civil government
in, 337-340.
Bondurant, Olney, 603, 609, 673,
674.
Bonito fishing, 811, 816.
Bonsai. Stephen, appointment of, to
Municipal Board of Manila. 375.
Bontoc Province, estimate of popula-
tion, 999, 1001.
Bontoc, town of, hospital at, 435, 437 ;
teaching of inmates of prison at,
531, 586-587; capital of Bontoc
Province, 586, 588-589.
Bontoc Igorots, progress of, under
American regime, 582-589, 803.
Boston Herald article by Quezon, 721-
722.
Bourns, Frank S., with the author in
first visit to Philippines, 2-3 ;
second visit to the islands, 4-6 ;
an officer in the islands during and
after Spanish War, 7 ; work of, in
directing Lawton's spies, 320 ; eradi-
cation of smallpox by, 413 ; reasons
for success in dealing with cholera
epidemics, 418; member of expedi-
tion to Bagnio, 451.
Branagan, Mr. and Mrs., 330.
Bray, Englishman, agent for Aguinaldo
at Singapore, 25-26 ; claims that
Filipino independence was promised
Aguinaldo, 42 ; letter from St.
Clair to, 42-43 ; obvious unscrupu-
lousness of, 44 ; advises Aguinaldo
as to course before breaking out of
hostilities, 131.
Brent, Bishop, schools established at
Baguio by, 479-480 ; deems it in-
advisable to proselytize natives
who are Catholic Christians, 642 ;
quoted on the race of leaders in
Philippine affairs, 939 n. ; quoted
on certain bearings of the question
of Philippine independence, 962-
963 ; on the clamour for independ-
ence of Filipinos, 970.
Bridge construction, 877, 880-881.
Brigandage, breaking up of, by Philip-
pine constabulary, 390-395 ; as-
sembly bill concerning, 781.
Brigands, Mindoro as a resort for, 220 ;
in Aguinaldo's army, 272-273.
Brj'an, W. J., use of name of, by
Philippine politicians during Agui-
naldo insurrection, 284, 295-300 ;
quoted in connection with Filipino
independence, 961-962.
Bryant, official in Nueva Vizcaya,
672.
Bubonic plague, cheeking of, 423-
424.
Buencamino, Felipe, Filipino in favour
of annexation, 75 ; fear of vic-
torious Filipinos expressed by, 108 ;
represents Moros in Aguinaldo's
congress, 263.
Bukidnon, healthful conditions in
towns of, 441 ; original condition
of people and noteworthy progress
of, 610-629 ; possibilities for rice-
growing in, 890-891 ; rubber trees
in, 902 ; conditions for production
of coffee, 902 ; corn and comotes
raised in, 903.
Bulacan, conditions in, under Insur-
gent rule, 156-157.
Burias. island of, 230.
Burnham, D. H., plans of, for develop-
ment of Baguio, 464.
Burning alive of victims of Insurgents,
751.
INDEX
1009
Burying alive by Insurgents, 750.
Butuan, conditions in, under American
regime, 629-630.
C
Cabagan Viejo, Insurgent atrocities at,
176-178.
Cabanag, Tomds, suit brought against,
as slave dealer, 694-698.
Cabinet, members of Aguinaldo's, 266.
Cacao, growing of, in Mindoro, 221 ;
general propitious conditions for
growing, 902.
Cadastral Survey Act, holding up of,
by Philippine Assembly, 773-775.
Cagayan de Misamis, 610, 617; esti-
mate of population, 999, 1001.
Cagayans, numbers of, and delegates
to Insurgent congress, 263, 933.
Cagayan valley, conditions in, under
Insurgent rule, 170-205 ; visit of
Philippine Commission to (1901),
345.
Cagayancillo, lapsing into barbarism
by people of, 958.
Cailles, General, policy of murder of
American sympathizers by, 744-746.
Calamianes Islands, the, 805.
Calderon, FeUpe, 321.
Camp John Hay, Baguio, 473-474, 484,
485.
Caflaos, holding of annual, 664-566.
Canlaon Volcano, 798.
Canoy, Major, Blount quoted on, 204.
Canturai, tamarau hunting at, 826-
827.
Carabaos, hunting of, 823-824 ; ques-
tion of origin, 824 ; prices of
domestic, 905.
Carag, Antonio, governor of Cagayan,
1001.
Carmona, Major, brutalities practised
by, 109-110.
Carnio, Juan, 572.
Carter, Major E. C, commissioner of
public health, 417-418, 419.
Case, Captain L. E., 396; work of,
among Ifugaos, 577.
Catarman Volcano, 798.
Catholics, missionary work by, 642-
643.
Cattle disease, lack of sanitary meas-
ures for dealing with, 412.
Cattle raising, opportunities for, 905.
Caua Volcano, 798.
Cavilli Island, shooting on, 820.
Cavite Province, conditions in, under
Insurgent rule, 213-214.
Cebij, island of, 230.
Ceblj Province, area and population of,
218 ; conditions in, under Insurgent
rule, 233 ; establishment of civil
government in, 337-340.
Cebu. town of, hospital at, 435; sea-
wall built at, 871.
Census statistics, 646-651, 999-1003.
Cervantes, Ilocano town in Lepanto,
572-573.
Chaffee, General A. R., quoted on
murders committed by Insurgents,
766.
Charms, Filipino belief in, 945.
Charting of the coast, 873-874.
Cheating of hill men by Filipinos, 570-
571, 610-611, 668-670, 951.
Chinese, killing of, by Insurgent sol-
diers, 215, 216.
Cholera, early ravages of, 410 ; fight
against and successful checking of,
414-423; later epidemics of, 422;
story connected with spread of, in
Mariquina valley, 437-439.
Civil government, establishment of, by
second Philippine Commission, 326-
359.
Civil Hospital, the so-called, 495-496.
Civil service, passage of act for estab-
lishment of, in Philippines, 332-
333 ; percentage of Filipinos in the,
359, 367 ; organization of, 360-377 ;
salaries paid in, 368.
Claraval, Senor, 554.
Claro Babuyan, volcano of, 798.
Climate of Philippines, 792-794.
Coal, importations of, 917.
Coal deposits, 885.
Coast and Geodetic Surveys, Bureau
of, 873-874.
Coast-guard fleet, 867-870.
Coast, protection of, 866-869 ; illumi-
nation of, 872-873 ; charting and
survey work, 873-874.
Coastwise tonnage figures, 916.
Cock-fighting, baseball vs., among Fili-
pinos, 515.
Coconut oil. as an article of trade, 894,
897 ; improvement in methods of
manufacture, 896-897.
Coconuts, in Mindoro, 221 ; cultiva-
tion of, 894-896.
Coconut trees, 894-896.
1010
INDEX
Coffee, possibilities for production of,
902.
Cdgon and cogondles, 848.
Coinage, changes in the, 347-350.
"Colorum," the, 944.
Colquhoun, A. R., quoted, 938.
Commercial possibilities of the Philip-
pines, 884-910.
Communal forests, 851-852.
Comotes, raising of, 903.
Congress, Aguinaldo's revolutionarj',
248-249 ; meeting of, 25S-262 ; list
of members, 260-261 ; composition
of, 263 ; constitution drawn up by
committee of, 264-269.
Conner, Norman G., governor of
Apayao, 582.
Constabulary, the Philippine, 378 ff.,
924 ; organization and personnel of,
381 ; distribution of, among various
provinces, 382 ; breaking up of
organized brigandage by, 390-395 ;
success of, in apprehending crimi-
nals, 396 : important services ren-
dered by, to Director of Health,
Director of Agriculture, etc., 397-
398 ; statistics relative to, 398 ;
justification of policy which led to
its organization, 399.
Constitution, the Insurgent, 264-269 ;
ratification of, 268 ; impossibility
of successful operation of govern-
ment under, 269.
Cooperation of Filipino leaders with
American forces, extent of, 67 ff. ;
summary of the case, by Taylor,
122-126.
Coordination of scientific work in
Philippines, 488-500.
Copper deposits, 885.
Copra, production of, and trade in. 892,
893 ; Philippine method of drj-ing,
896.
Cornish, Lieutenant G. R. F., quoted
on Filipino superstitions, 947.
Corn-raising, 903.
Corn-raising contests, 521.
Corrales, Governor, report by, on
slavery, 689-691.
Cotton goods, trade in, 906-907.
Country club at Baguio, 464-467.
Courts, past and present organization
of, of the Philippines, 401-407, 988-
999.
Criminals, Mindoro as a resort for,
220.
Crocodiles in Philippine streams and
lakes, 827-828.
Crone, Director of Education, removal
of, demanded, 728.
Culasidn Bay, affair vnth Moros at,
601-606.
Culion, leper settlement at, 426.
Culion Island, deer shooting on, 821.
Currency, reformation of the, 347-
350.
Cuyo, resistance of, to Insurgent rule,
223.
D
Damar varnish gum in Palawan, 222.
Davis, General George W., on slavery
in the Moro Province, 681-682.
Dawson, W. B., 609.
Dead Man's Mountain, 539.
Deaf and Blind, School for the, in
Manila, 507.
Deer hunting, 820-822.
Delgado, General Martin, edict issued
by, 272 n.
Denby, Colonel Charles, a member of
first Philippine Commission, 8 ;
arrival in the islands, 310; impres-
sion made on Filipinos by, 311;
forced to decline appointment to
second Philippine Commission, 325 ;
tribute by author to ability and in-
tegrity of, 326.
Dewey, Admiral, a member of first
Philippine Commission, 8 ; charges
brought against, by Judge Blount,
19-20 ; meeting between Aguinaldo
and, 46-47 ; the question of promise
of Filipino independence by, 47-
52 ; pestering of, by oflicials and
Filipinos, 78 ; on conditions in
province of Manila under Insur-
gent rule, 210-211.
Dialects, multiplicity of, 934-935.
Dichoso, Governor, report by, on
slavery in Isabela, 684-689.
Dole, President, visit to, 330.
Dosser, Lieutenant, 396.
Draught animals, 905.
Drinking habits of Filipinos and of
non-Christian peoples, 570.
Ducks and duck shooting, 818-819.
Dukut, secret assassination, 731.
Duval, General, 452.
Dysentery, prevalence, cause and pre-
vention of, 426-427.
INDEX
1011
E
Earnshaw, Senor, denial of existence of
slavery in Philippines by, 724.
Eckman, Governor E. A., luncheon
given to, by Benguet Igorota, 572.
Edie, Major, efi5cient medical officer,
413.
Education, under the Spanish, 501-
503; system of, established by
Americans, 504 ff.
Edwards, General, action in regard to
slavery bill, 700, 702.
Elections, under Aguinaldo's scheme of
government, 254-256 ; percentage
of illiteracy brought out by Philip-
pine. 523, 944.
Embroidery-making, training of Fili-
pino women in, 507, 509.
Evans, John H., governor of Palawan,
600, 006.
Expositions, exhibition of non-Chris-
tian peoples at, 643-645.
Far Eastern Association of Tropical
Medicine. 443.
Federal Party, the, 341, 967.
Ferguson, Arthur W., 330.
Fiestas held among wild hill men, 664—
566.
Filipinos, question of promise of inde-
pendence to, 18-66 ; question of
cooperation by, with American
forces, 67-126 ; treacherous atti-
tude of, 127-151 ; conditions in the
provinces under Insurgent rule,
162-241 ; unfitness of common
people to govern, 242 ff. ; severe
treatment of, by Insurgent leaders,
270-275 ; instances in which
severity was used toward, by
American soldiers, 281 ; chief char-
acteristics of, as a people. 340-341 ;
percentage of, employed in the ci^Tl
service, 359, 366-367 ; as members
of the Philippine constabularj-,
380 ff., 399 ; as judges of courts, 402-
407 ; health conditions among, and
educational campaign in sanitary
methods begun for, 408-420 ; train-
ing of, for nurses and physicians,
434-435 ; percentage of tuberculosis
among, 444 : generally bad physical
condition of, 445 ; establishment of
schools for, 501-505; training of,
as teachers, 505-507 ; change in
attitude of, toward manual labour,
508 ; industrial education of, 608-
513 ; introduction of athletic sports
and games, 514-516; drinking
habits of, 570 ; cheating of people
of wild tribes by, 570-571, 610-611,
668-670,951; statement of author's
attitude toward, 637-659 ; lack of
s>Tnpathy of, for non-Christian
tribes, 661-665, 936; question of
treatment of wild people by, if
given full power, 665, 668-672, 674-
675; sj'stem of slavery conducted
among, 676 ff. ; peonage among,
714-729 ; government by murder
and assassination carried on by
leaders of, 730-767 ; granting of
legislative power to, deemed to be
premature, 772 ; activities of. in
the Philippine Assembly, 773-790 ;
character of Filipinos elected to
legislature, 790; doubtful results
of turning road and bridge work
over to, 882-883 ; qualities as field
labourers, 886 ; primitive methods
of agriculture followed by, 891, 896 ;
lacking as yet in ability to promote
commercial prosperity, 917-920;
barrier to present complete inde-
pendence of, found in diversity of
peoples and existence of mutual dis-
likes and prejudices, 933-940 ; in-
termarriage of Americans and, 940-
941 ; illiteracy of majority of
people, 943-944 ; superstitions and
religious fakes among, 944-949 ;
while quick to learn, lack initiative
and sound judgment, 951 ; irre-
sponsibility of native press, 952-
954 ; other facts militating against
fitness of, to govern themselves,
954-960 ; course to be followed by
United States in treatment of, 961-
973.
Fish, possibilities for increase of trade
in. 904. '
Fishing in the Philippines, 806-818.
Flowers of the Philippines, 800-801.
Forbes, W. Cameron, succeeds General
Smith as governor-general, 354 ;
excellence of administration of, 354-
356 ; lack of courtesy shown to, in
method of requesting resignation,
456; quoted regarding the civil
1012
INDEX
servicS) 366 ; assistance given
Baguio Country Club by, 465, 467 ;
sen-ices of, in developing Baguio,
470-471 ; credit due, for Benguet
Road and Baguio, 487 ; Quezon's
attack on, because of speech on
slavery question, 721-723 ; open-
ing up of game fishing by, 806-807 ;
ocean bonito taken by, 811; plan
for coast-guard service evolved by,
868 ; sensible road policy for which
responsible, 882.
Forest products, 847 £f., 852, 858.
Forestry Bureau, reorganization of,
333 ; work of, 849, 850.
Forests, in Mindoro, 221 ; legislation
for protection and development of
Philippine, 347 ; description, possi-
bilities, and question of conserva-
tion and development, 846-860.
Fort, Captain Guy O., 397.
Fortich, Manuel, 618-620, 624, 625,
626, 669, 673.
Franchise, qualifications for securing
the, 522-523, 944.
Freedom of speech and the press con-
fused with license, 952.
Freer, Dr. Paul C, superintendent of
government laboratories, 414 ; work
as director of Bureau of Govern-
ment Laboratories, 491-492 ; death
of, 499.
Friar lands question, 376 ; history of,
834-841.
Friar Lands Act, 836-838.
Friars, torture of, by Aguinaldo's
forces, 172-205, 206 ff. ; murder of,
731-732.
Fruit production, 903-904.
Fuga Island, shooting on, 820.
Fugate, Lieutenant-Governor James R.,
work of, in Siquijor, and attacks on,
965-966.
Fullon, Leandro, Insurgent general,
murder of enemies authorized by,
736-737.
G
Gallman, Lieutenant Jeff D., valuable
work of, in connection with con-
stabulary, 396, 673; work of,
among Ifugaos, 577-579 ; experi-
ence of, with people of Lingay, 662-
664 ; liberation of slaves by, in
Nueva Vizcaya, 712.
Gambling, among Benguet Igorots,
571 ; the besetting sin of Filipinos,
715, 777.
Game fish and game fishing in the
Phihppines, 806-818.
Game shooting, 820-828.
Garchitorena, Senor, 40, 41.
Gilbert, Newton W., secretary of
public instruction, 513.
Gilmore, Lieutenant, officer captured
and turned loose in Apayao, 556.
Gold, in Mindoro, 221 ; mines in
vicinity of Baguio, 481 ; in vicinity
of Paraeale, Luz6n, 885.
Gold mining, 885.
Gomez, Manuel, secretary of board of
health, 414.
Gonzaga, Gracio, 41 ; secretary of
fomento in Aguinaldo's cabinet, 266 ;
%'isits first Philippine Commission,
315-316.
Government exchanges, 665.
Government Laboratories, Bureau of,
established, 491-492 ; becomes the
Bureau of Science, 494.
Governors, v-ital importance of work
done by American, in the islands,
662-675.
Grant, General Fred D., reminiscence
by, 164-165.
Grove, Leo J., barracuda taken by, 808.
Quardia civil, the, 378-380.
Guerilla warfare, authorized by Agui-
naldo, 285, 922; horrors of, 285-
286.
Guerrero, Leon, 263.
Guzman, torturer of Lieutenant Piera,
190, 204.
Guzman, Governor Pablo, extermina-
tion of non-Christians advocated
by, 662.
Halcon, Mt., marble on, 221.
Hale, Walter F., work of, as lieutenant-
governor of Kalinga country, 579-
580, 673.
Harbord, Colonel J. G., information
given by, regarding constabulary,
387.
Harbours, improvement of, under
American regime, 870-872 ; lighting
of, 872-873 ; charting and survey
work in, 873-874.
Hardwood timber in Philippine forests,
847, 849-851.
INDEX
1013
Harrison, Francis Burton, appointed
successor to Governor Forbes, 356 ;
lack of previous experience in the
Philippines, 356 ; removal of effi-
cient officials by, 375-376 ; view
taken by, of appointments to office,
377 ; calls attention of assembly to
slaverj- question, 728.
Harty, Archbishop, 445, 643; home
of, at Baguio, 480.
Haube, engineer in charge of construc-
tion work at Baguio, 471.
Head-hunters, visits to the, 534-548 ;
taming and development of, by
American officials, 575-590 ; neces-
sity for a steady hand over, 659.
Health board, the first, 413^14.
Health conditions in the Philippines,
346, 408-448.
Health officers, district and municipal,
439^41.
Heiser, Dr. Victor G., commissioner
of public health, 420, 443-444;
game fish taken by, 810, 811, 814.
Hemp, growing of, in Mindoro, 221 ;
traffic in, a cause of disorders in
Samar, 393 ; production of, and
trade in, in Philippines, 891-893.
Higgins, Horace L., member of expedi-
tion into Benguet, 451, 455.
Highways, improvement of, 876-883.
See Roads.
Hilgard, Captain M. R., work of, at
Camp John Hay, Baguio, 474.
Hill stations, importance of, in the
tropics, 482-486.
Hogs, wild, hunting of, 820, 822-823.
Holmes, N. M., engineer of Benguet
Road, 457.
Hongkong, comparison of Manila and,
as commercial ports, 886-887.
Hongkong junta, 21-26.
Horse racing, e\Tls of, and efforts of
Philippine Legislature in behalf of,
777.
Hospitals, 420-^32, 432-435, 495-496.
Household Industries, School of, 507.
Housekeeping courses in Philippine
schools, 509.
Hughes, General, account of talk be-
tween Mr. Taft and, 332.
Ide, Henry C, a member of second
Philippine Commission, 9, 325 ;
VOL. II — 2l
becomes secretary of finance and
justice, 345 ; service of, as successor
of Governor Wright, 353.
"If," Kipling's poem, 67.3-674.
Ifugao, estimate of population, 999,
1001.
Ifugaos, author's visit to the, 534-538 ;
civilization and development of,
under American management, 575-
579, 804 ; taking of, for slaves, 712.
Igorots, \'isit to the, 342-343 ; trade
of, with Baguio, 481 ; origin of
the, 532 ; of Benguet, 567-572 ; of
Lepanto, 572-574 ; of Bontoc, 582-
589, 803.
Ilagan, Insurgent atrocities at, 178-
179.
Illiteracy in the Philippines, percent-
age of, 523, 944.
Ilocanos, the. 21 n., 933 ; numbers of,
and delegates to Insurgent congress,
263 ; hostility of other Philippina
peoples to, 937-938 ; census statis-
tics, 999, 1001.
Hollo, improvement of harbour at, 871.
Ilongot people, 589-590, 672 ; advice
to tourists who visit, 804.
Independence, refutation of statements
as to promise of, to Filipinos, 18 ff. ;
present question of possibility of,
933-960.
Industrial education, 511-513.
Infant mortality, high rate of, 444-445.
Insane hospital, Manila, 433.
Insects of the Philippines, 801.
Insurgent records, the, 15-16 ; value
of Major Taylor's work in translate
ing, 16-17.
Insurgents, question of promise of in-
dependence to leaders of, 18-66 ;
treacherous behariour of, toward
American forces, instead of coopera-
tion with, 67-126 ; premeditated
attack of, on Americans, 127-151 ;
the Wilcox-Sargent report on con-
ditions under rule of, 153 ff. ; real
facts of frightful conditions in
different provinces during rule of,
156-240 ; leaders of, alive to-day
and powerful, 240 ; the kind of
" republic " established by, 242-269 ;
nature of the war conducted by,
270-294 ; murder and secret assassi-
nation the authorized weapons of
officers of, 730-767.
Intermarriage of races, 940-941.
1014
INDEX
Internal revenue statistics, 911-914.
Intoxication, freedom of Filipinos from,
but frequency of among non-Chris-
tian peoples, 570.
Iron ore deposits, 885.
Irrigation worlj, 665, 890.
Isabela, taking of, by General Villa,
176; slavery in, 683-689; esti-
mate of population, 999, 1001.
Isabela Estate, the, 834.
Isio, Pope, Tagdlog outlaw, 738-740.
Islands, total number of, in Philip-
pines, 792.
Iwahig agricultural penal colony, con-
victs taught modern agricultural
methods in, 531.
Japan, interest of, in Philippine affairs,
304.
Jesuit priests, assistance afforded
Philippine Commission by, 319.
Johnson, Captain Frederick, governor
of Agusan, 613, 630, 673 ; death of,
6.30-631.
Johnson, Justice, Philippine Supreme
Court, quoted, 935.
Jolo, present conditions in, 634, 653-
655.
Jones, William A., charges made
against Governor Forbes by, 355 ;
on the Baguio Country Club, 466.
Jones Bill, 722, 937, 964.
Judges, numbers, jurisdiction, salaries,
etc., 359 ff., 400-407, 988-999.
Jungle fowl shooting, 820.
Justice, administration of, in the Philip-
pines, 346, 400-407, 988-999.
Kalinga country, visit to the, 539-547 ;
civilization and development of,
679-580; population, 999, 1001.
Kane, Samuel E., 538, 573, 672.
Katipiinan Society, the, 741.
Kelly, Mrs. Alice M., teacher among
Benguet Igorots, 570.
Kennon, Colonel L. W. V., completion
of Benguet Road by, 460-463.
Kidnapping for purposes of slavery,
680-720.
Kiggins, Frank M., 360.
Kipling, appreciation of the Philippine
situation by, 673-674.
Knight, Louis G., governor of Ifugao,
677 ; report by, on slavery in
Nueva Vizcaya, 692-693.
Kobbd, General, 321.
Ladrone, meaning of word, 593 n.
Ladronism, past conditions as to, and
absence of, at present time, 771.
Laguna Province, conditions in, under
Insurgent rule, 211.
Lalauigan, Mangyan village, 692.
Land question in the Philippines, 347,
829-843.
Land records, destruction of, by Insur-
gents, 214.
Language, difficulty of, because of
dialects, 934-935.
Lapu-lapu fish, 811-812, 816.
Lara, experience with Moros at, 697—
600.
La Union Province, estimate of popu-
lation, 999, 1001.
Lavera, T. H. Pardo de, advocates
union of Philippines with United
States, 76.
Lawton, General, arrival of, in Philip-
pines and tribute to fine qualities
of, 320 ; favourable comparison of,
with General Otis, 322-323.
Lawyers, Filipino, 943.
Legarda, Benito, 9 ; member of Agui-
naldo's congress, 264 ; becomes
member of second Philippine Com-
mission, 345.
Legislature, composition of the Philip-
pine, 357, 768-769 ; election held
for, and opening of first session by
Secretary Taft, 770 ; powers of the
commission and of the assembly,
712-773; review of assembly bills
and commission bills, 776-790 ;
dangers of giving Filipinos majority
in, 790-791. See Assembly.
Leoncio, notable man among Bukidnon
people, 628.
Lepanto, civilization and development
of, 572-574 ; estimate of population,
999. 1002.
Lepanto-Bontoc, establishment of prov-
ince of, and government for, 559 ;
population, 999, 1002.
Leprosy, treatment of problem of, 425-
426.
Lerma, Jos6 M., 264.
INDEX
1015
LeRoy, Jamea H., 330, 385.
Lewis, Frederick, governor of Agusan,
510, 618, 622-624, 625, 626, 672-673.
Leyba, Colonel, brutal Insurgent officer,
171 ff. ; letter by, showing condi-
tions in Cagayan valley, 199-202.
Leyte, area and population of, 218;
disorders in, 394-395.
Liberty Cap, mountain, 798.
Lighthouses, construction of, 872-873.
Lignite, 221, 885.
Limestone cliffs and caves, 798, 800.
Liquor habits of natives, 570-571.
Liquor traffic, regulation of, 333.
Literature, lack of, in native dialects,
936.
Llanera, Insurgent general, 128.
Lumbering in Philippines, 475, 851-
855.
Luna, General, transactions with
Colonel Arguelles, and fate of, 314 ;
murder of enemies of Insurgent
cause ordered by, 747-748.
Luzon, area and population of. 218 ;
visits to wild tribes of, 451-455,
534-556 ; the Insurgent policy of
murder in, 740-743 ; suitable con-
ditions for coffee and tea growing in,
902. See also Benguet.
Luzuriaga, Jos^ R. de, 9 : interview of
first Philippine Commission with,
319; becomes member of second
Philippine Commission, 345.
M
Mabini, Tagilog insurgent, 53, 69, 128,
163. 231, 259; opposition of, to
Insurgent constitution. 265-266 ;
member of Aguinaldo's cabinet,
266 ; fatal effect on constitution of
opposition of, 269 ; quoted on cause
of failure of insurrection, 289 ; pro-
tests against Luna's order to murder
inhabitants about Manila, 748;
advocates making English the
official language, 778, 779, 935.
Macabebe scouts, the, 158.
MacArthur, General, views held of
Filipinos by, 320 ; cool reception
of second Philippine Commission
by, 331 ; attitude relative to estab-
lishment of civil governments in
various provinces, 338-340 ; sup-
presses Major Maus's report on
Benguet, 453-454.
Mclntyre, General, action in regard to
slavery bill, 700, 702, 705.
McKinley, President, appoints first
Philippine Commission, 8 ; report
of resignation of, circulated among
Insurgent troops, 284 ; on author's
cablegram to Chicago Times-Herald
describing taking of Malolos, 310;
instructions given second Philip-
pine Commission by, 326-330 ; high
motives by which actuated, in
policy toward Philippines, 329-330 ;
text of instructions to Philippine
Commissions, 975-977, 981-988.
McKinnon, Father W. D., 308; schools
opened in Manila under supervision
of, 504.
Mail service, improvement in, under
American rfegime, 861-864, 866.
Maimban, Lieutenant, 396.
Malampaya Sound, e.xceUence of, as a
harbour, 222 ; scenery in, 805 ;
camping grounds on, 818.
Malaria, campaign against, 428-429,
792.
Malaspina Volcano, 798.
Malaueg, lapsing into barbarism of
people of, 958-959.
Malaybalay, town in Agusan, 621.
Malolos, meeting of Aguinaldo's con-
gress at, 258-267 ; description of
taking of, by American forces, 306-
309.
Mandaya villages, conditions in, 633-
634.
Mangarin, Tagilog town, 591.
Maugyans, tribe of, 591, .592-593.
Manila, behaviour of Filipino forces
during attack on, and later, 80-126 ;
Aguinaldo's plans for attack on
Americans in, 137-142 ; health con-
ditions, sanitary measures, hospitals,
etc., in, 410-448; epidemic of
cholera in, 414-420; interest of,
for the tourist, 802 ; improvement
of harbour of, 870-871 ; compari-
son of Hongkong and, as commer-
cial ports, 886-887.
Manila-Dagupan Railway, 875.
Manila Province, conditions in, under
Insurgent rule, 210-211.
Manila Railroad Company, 875-876.
Manobo, people of, 611 ff.
Manual labour, change in attitude of
Filipinos toward, 508.
Manufacturing, possibilities for, 906.
1016
INDEX
Marble, in Mindoro, 221.
Marinduque, visit of Philippine com-
missioners to, 337.
Marine service, improvement in, 866 ff.
Mariveles, disinfecting plant at, 429.
Marriage between Americans and Fili-
pinos. 940-941.
Martin, Congressman, attack on Mr.
Taft and insular officials by, 839-
840.
Mary J. Johnston Hospital, Manila,
433.
Masbate, area, population and char-
acter of people, 230.
Massacres of Americans and of Span-
iards planned by Insurgents, 757-
763.
Maus, Major Louis M., commissioner
of public health, 413. 417; mem-
ber of expedition to Baguio, 451.
Mayon Volcano, 797.
Meacham, Dr. F. H., chief sanitary
inspector, 413, 422.
Meade, Captain Charles W., errors of,
in survey and construction of Ben-
guet Road, 455-457.
Medical associations, 443.
Medicine and Surgery, College of, 497,
530.
Mejia, Pablo, assassination of, 735.
Merritt, General Wesley, charged by
Judge Blount with not keeping
faith with Filipinos, 19-20; report
of promise made to Aguinaldo by,
113-114.
Mexico, analogy drawn between pres-
ent case of, and that of an inde-
pendent Philippine republic, 962.
Mezlizo class, problems presented by.
941.
Miller, Lieutenant E. Y., service as
governor of Palawan, 595-600, 609,
673 ; death of, 600.
Mindanao, misstatements by Blount
concerning, 224-225 ; actual con-
ditions in, 225-226 ; conditions in,
after expulsion of Spanish, 228-229 ;
suited for coffee growing, 902.
Mindoro, conditions in, under Insur-
gent rule, 216-221 ; Blount's false
statements and the real facts as to
characteristics of, 219-221 ; possi-
bilities of development of agricul-
ture, forest products and minerals
of, 221 ; cleanliness of towns of,
441 ; establishment of government
for, 560 ; description of people and
present condition of, 591-594 ;
estimate of population, 1000, 1002.
Mineral lands, legislation relative to,
841-842.
Mineral products, in Mindoro, 221.
Mineral resources of Philippines, 885.
Mineral springs, 798.
Mining, in Lepanto, 572.
Mining Bureau, reorganization of, 333.
Misamis, conditions in province of,
610 ff. ; slavery in, 689-692; esti-
mate of population, 1000, 1002.
Missionary work, 641-643.
Mohammedan Malays, habitat of, in
Philippines, 225-226. See Moros.
Moral Progress League, the, 515.
Morga, quoted on slavery, 676-677,
678-679.
Moro Province, organization, govern-
ment and conditions in, 632-636 ;
conditions as to slavery in, in 1902,
681-682 ; estimate of population,
1000, 1002.
Moros, places where found, 225-226 ;
impossibility of turning Mindanao
over to, 226 ; numbers of, 226 ; re-
sults of Filipino attempts to govern,
226-229 ; origin of the, 532 ; fairly
successful resistance of, to Spanish,
532-533 ; experiences of American
officials with, in Palawan. 594-608 ;
inability of Filipinos to cope with,
631 ; gravity of problem presented
by, 634-636 ; religious fanaticism
exhibited by, in fighting, 654 ;
threats by, in case of withdrawal of
Americans, 671-672 ; Filipinos cap-
tured by, for slaves, 680 ; along
the .^.gusan River, 800.
Moses, Bernard, a member of second
Philippine Commission, 9, 325 ;
horseback trip by, with author, 341-
343 ; appointed secretary of public
instruction, 345.
Mountain Province, establishment of
the, 560.
Mountains, in Mindoro, 220 ; of Ben-
guet, 452-455 ; scenic features of
Philippine, 798.
Mountain Trail, a trip on the, 803-804.
Moynihan, Captain, 601.
Municipal governments, Aguinaldo's,
246, 250, 252-253, 257; elections
in, 254-256 ; organization of, by
first Philippine Commission, 321 ;
INDEX
1017
legislative acts of second Philippine
Commission relative to, 334, 335 ;
civil service rules applied to officers
in, 363 ; abuses practised by
officers of, 953-957.
Municipal health officers, 439.
Murder, as a part of the Insurgent
governmental policy, 730-767.
Museums in Manila, 802.
N
Nanca, Bukidnon village, 622.
Naujan Lake, duck shooting on, 819.
Navigation, Bureau of, 869.
Negritos, 230-231 ; description of. 532 ;
author's friendly reception by, 553 ;
in Mindoro, 591 ; pure-blooded, in
Palawan, 594 ; general condition
of, 660 ; reduction of, to slavery,
707-711.
Negros, island of, 230.
Negroa Province, area and population
of, 218; special interest of first
Philippine Commission in, 319 ;
Aguinaldo's policy of assassination
and murder in, 738-740.
Newspaper article attacking San
Lazaro Hospital, and retraction
of, 420-422.
Newspapers, characteristics of Filipino,
420, 446-447, 952-953.
"Non-Christian," discussion of term,
533.
Non-Christian territory, exploration
of, 532-558.
Non-Christian tribes, author's vi.sits
to, 534-557 ; number of, 557 ; gov-
ernment of the, 559-636 ; correc-
tions of a few of the misstatements
made by Blount concerning, 637-
659 ; problems presented by, 660-
675 ; unwillingness of, to accept
Christian faith, and hatred of Chris-
tian Filipinos, 661-662, 951-952;
bad outlook for, with Filipinos in
charge of the legislature, 790 ;
census figures, 999-1003.
Normal School, Manila, 502-503, 507,
511, 517, 520-521.
Nozaleda, Archbishop, influence of, on
Mr. Schurman, 317.
Nueva Ecija, conditions in, under In-
surgent rule, 168-169 ; estimate of
population, 1000, 1002.
Nueva Vizcaya, conditions in, under
Insurgent rule, 170-205; act pro-
viding for government of, 559 ;
Blount's view of, and the real facts,
656-658; slavery in, 692-698 ; esti-
mate of population, 1000, 1002.
Nurses, schools for training, 434, 528-
530.
O
Ocampo, Alfonso, quoted concerning
Insurgent plan to massacre Span-
iards in Cavite, 763.
Ocampo, Pablo, 51.
Office, Governor-General Harrison's
view of appointments to, 377 ;
anxiety of Filipinos for, 967.
Offley, Captain R. G., governor of
Mindoro, 217, 591, 592, 672.
Ola, Simeon, outlaw chief in Albay,
389.
Opium, the evil of, 789.
Oranges, possibilities for production of,
903.
Osgood, H. D., sanitarj' engineer, 413.
Osmena, speaker of assembly, 729 ;
opposition organized to candidacy
of, for presidency of expected
Philippine Republic, 937.
Ostrand, Judge James A., facts on
peonage furnished by, 715-718;
removal of, demanded, 728.
Otis, General E. S., a member of first
Philippine Commission, 8 ; dealings
of, %vith Aguinaldo, 115-122; in-
structions given by Aguinaldo for
murder of, 139 ; men commissioned
by Aguinaldo to assassinate, 143 ;
report of supersedure of, by "John
Waterly," 284 ; approval of proc-
lamation of first Philippine Com-
mission shown by, 310 n. ; refuses
Arguelles' request for temporary
suspension of hostilities, 312-313 ;
unfavourable comparison between
judgment of, and that of General
Lawton. 322-323 ; laughs at Law-
ton's proposition looking to prompt
conclusion of insurrection and cap-
ture of Aguinaldo, 323.
Pack, William F., governor of Benguet,
436 ; credit due, for Teachers'
Camp at Baguio, 468 : story of the
Igorot chief and, 571-572 ; with
1018
INDEX
Governor Miller's party at Lara,
597, 598 ; an example of devotion
to his wild subjects, 672.
Palasi, Igorot chief, 436 ; story of
Governor Pack and. 571-572.
Palawan, area, population and natural
wealth of. 221-222 ; conditions in,
under Insurgent rule, 222-22.3 ;
organization of government for
province of, 559 ; description of
people and account of present con-
dition, 594-609 ; career of Governor
Miller in, 595-600; tendency of
Filipinos in, to relapse to barbarism,
608-609 ; estimate of population,
1000, 1002.
Paluanes, hill people of Palawan, 694-
595.
Pampanga, conditions in, under Insur-
gent rule, 15S-159.
Pampangans, numbers of, and dele-
gates to Insurgent congress, 263 ;
present population, 933, 1000.
Pampano fishing, 810.
Panay, island of, 230.
Panay Province, area and population
of, 218.
Pangasindn, conditions in, under In-
surgent rule, 165-168; the Caba-
ruan fiasco in. 944-945.
Pangasinans, numbers of, and delegates
to Insurgent congress, 263, 933.
Paper pulp from bamboo, 847.
Paragua. See Palawan.
Paua, Ignacio, Chinaman in Agui-
naldo's service in Bulacan, 156-157.
Peiia. Colonel, barbarities practised bv,
215.
Peonage in the Philippines, 676 ff. ;
definition of term, as distinguished
from slavery, 683 ; more serious
than slavery in the Philippines, 714 ;
reduction of Filipinos to, through
their fondness for gambling. 715 ;
facts as to, 715-720 ; interest of
Philippine assemblymen in main-
tenance of, 720-721 ; greatness of
problem, 729.
Petroleum, prospects of obtaining, in
Philippines, 885.
Philippine Assembly, the, 357, 768-791.
See Assembly.
Philippine Commission, first : appoint-
ment of, 8 ; instructions given to,
301-302; arrival at the islands,
304-305 ; proclamation issued to
Filipinos by, 310 ; friendly rela-
tions established by, with P^ilipino
leaders, 311; examination into con-
ditions and events by, 311-312;
visit of Colonel Arguelles to, 312-
313; plan of government sub-
mitted to President by, 316; inter-
views between Filipino officers and,
316-317; odd conduct of Mr.
Schurman, 317-318 ; work of, in
gathering information about coun-
tr>' and people, 319; recall of, and
report by, 323-324 ; publication of
report, and soundness of conclu-
sions of first Philippine Commission,
324 ; text of instructions of the
President to, 975-977; text of
proclamation issued by, 977-980.
Philippine Commission, second : ai>
pointment of, 325 ; instructions
issued to, by President McKinley,
326-330; arrival of, in Manila,
330-331 ; assumption of legislative
power by, and first official acts, 332-
334 ; later important legislative
acts passed by, 334-335 ; journeys
of investigation and to establish
civil governments in different prov-
inces, 335-340 ; inauguration of
Mr. Taft as civil governor, 344 ;
tour of northern provinces by com-
mission, 344-345 ; complete central
civil government established, 345;
addition of Filipino members to,
345-436 ; code of laws enacted by,
346 ; chief important results of
work of, 346-351 ; text of instruc-
tions given to, by the President,
981-988.
Philippine General Hospital, Manila,
432-433 ; overflow of patients at,
442 ; building of the, 496 ; attempts
made by University authorities to
secure control of professional work
of, 499 ; author's efforts in behalf
of, 640 ; interest of, for the tourist,
802-803.
Philippine Island Medical Aaaociation,
443.
Philippine Legislature, the, 357, 768-
791. See Legislature.
Philippine Medical School, opening of,
497.
PhUippine Normal School, 502-503,
507. 511. 517; use of polished rice
for food at, 520-521.
INDEX
1019
Philippine Railway Company, 876.
Philippines, author's first visit to, 2-3 ;
second visit to, 4-6 ; first and second
commissions appointed to, 8-9 ;
widespread and radical misappre-
hension in United States concern-
ing, 12 ; area and population of,
218, 649, 792; establishment of
civil government in, 325-345 ;
careers and services of different
governors-general, 351-356 ; dele-
gates to Congress of United States
from, 357; executive officials and
legislature of, 357, 768 ff. ; govern-
ments in pro\'inces and municipali-
ties, 358 ; the judiciary, 359, 400-
407, 988-999 ; civU service in, 360-
377; policing of, 378-399; work
for improvement of health condi-
tions in, 408-448 ; coordination of
scientific work in, 488-500 ; estab-
lishment of school system and
progress made in education, 501-
531; non-Christian territory and
people, 532-636; slavery and
peonage in, 676-729; total num-
ber of islands included in, 792 ;
climate of, 792-794 ; scenerj-, 794-
795 ; typhoons, 795-796 ; volcanoes,
796-798 ; mountains and rivers,
798-800 ; flowers, birds and insects.
800-802 ; points of interest for the
tourist, 802-805 ; fishing and shoot-
ing in, 806-828 ; private and public
lands, 829-845; forests, 846-860;
improvements in postal facilities,
telegraph system, waterways, and
land transportation, under Ameri-
can regime, 861-883 ; commercial
possibilities, 884-910; rfisume of
results of American rule in, 921-
932 ; question of present inde-
pendence of, 933-960 ; course to be
followed by United States concern-
ing, 961-973.
Physicians, institutions for training of,
434-435, 488 ff.
Piera, Salvador, Spanish lieutenant
tortured by Insurgents, 187-190.
Pilar, General Gregorio del, 315.
Pilar, Pio del, 128, 129; brutalities
practised by soldiery of, 108-111;
authorized by Aguinaldo to begin
guerilla warfare, 285.
Pineapple raising, 903-904.
Pirates of Miudoro, 220.
Pneumonic plague, 429.
Poisoning of American soldiers by In-
surgents, 754-755.
Police, passage of act authorizing es-
tabhshment of local, 333.
Policing of the Philippines, 378-399.
Polo-playing at Baguio Country Club,
467.
Pond, Dr. Arlington, 440.
Population, statistics of, 646-651, 999-
1003.
Postal savings bank statistics, 916.
Postal service, improvement in, by
Americans, 861-864, 866.
Posts, Bureau of, 863, 865.
Pratt, Consul, charged by Blount with
repudiation of promises of inde-
pendence, 19-20 ; first meeting of,
with Aguinaldo, 25-26 ; efforts of,
to secure Aguinaldo's cooperation
with American fleet, 27-28 ; state-
ment by, refuting promise of Fili-
pino independence, 29-30.
Presulenles of pueblos, absoluteness of
rule of, 243.
Press, attitude of, toward sanitary
work in the islands, 420-422, 446-
447 ; abuses of the native, 952-
953.
Priests, atrocities practised on, by
Filipino Insurgents, 172-205, 206 ff. ;
help given first Philippine Commis-
sion by, 319.
Private schools, 526-527.
Protestant and Catholic missionary
methods, 642-643.
Provinces, government of two classes
of Philippine, 358 ; establishment
of non-Christian, and organization
of governments for, 559 ff.
Provincial governments, abuse of au-
thority by officers of, 953-957.
Public Land Act, the, 830 ff., 844;
homestead applications under, 833-
834.
Public lands, disposition of, 347, 829-
843.
Puldjanism in Samar, 393.
Pure Food and Drugs Act, enforcement
of, in Philippines, 443.
Q
Quarantine system, 429.
Queen of Taytay, story of the, 437-
439, 945.
1020
INDEX
Quezon, Filipino politician, on slavery
in the Philippines, 679, 682, 683;
attack on Governor-General Forbes
by, on account of speech relative
to slavery question, 721-723 ; refu-
tation of denial by, of existence of
slavery in Philippines, 724-725.
Quiangan, work of Ifugao schoolboys
at, 804.
R
RaUroad to Baguio, 481-482.
Railroads, statistics of, 875-876.
Regidor, Antonio, advice of, to Agon-
cillo. 70.
Religious fakes, 944-949.
Republic, question of destruction of an
embryo, by Americans, 242-269.
"Resejia Veridica," the, 51.
Reyes, Salvador, Filipino assassinated
for loyalty to government, 333.
Ricarte, General Artemio, 252.
Rice, production of, in Mindoro, 221 ;
general conditions of the industry,
888-891.
Rinderpest, campaign against, 904-
905.
Rio Grande de Cagayan, 800.
Rio Grande de Cotabato, 800.
Rios, bandit, account of, 949.
Rios, I. F., 251.
Rivers, underground, 798-799 ; attrac-
tions offered to tourists by Philip-
pine rivers, 800.
Rizal, Dr., complaints against guardia
civil in book by, 380 ; quoted on
slavery, 676-679.
Rizal, P. Mercado, Insurgent general,
128.
Road-building among and by wild
tribes, 562-564, 626, 875, 876-882.
Roads, appropriation of money for
building, 332.
Roldan, Jose, trouble-maker in Albay,
388-389.
Romblon, island of, 230 ; estimate of
population, 1000, 1003.
Roosevelt, Theodore, Blount's re-
marks concerning, 225, 242 n. ;
support of civil service in Philip-
pines by, 375.
Root, Secretary, supports commission
in passage of civil service act, 360 :
telegram from, to Mr. Taft at
Baguio, 459.
Rosario, Arcadio del, on author's work
against slavery and peonage, 729.
Rubber, production of, in Mindoro,
221 ; conditions in general for pro-
duction of, 902.
Rucker, Kyle, letter by, quoted, 708-
709.
S
St. Louis Exposition, exhibition of
non-Christian peoples at, 643-645.
St. Paul's Bay, Palawan, 798.
St. Paul's Hospital, Manila, 433.
Salaries, paid in Philippine civil ser-
vice, 368-372 ; of judicial officers,
400-407, 996-999.
■Salvarsan, a remedy for yaws, 430.
Samar, island of, 230.
Samar Province, area and population
of, 218; disorders in, 392-394;
census figures, 1000, 1003.
Sanchez, Domingo, 449.
San Cristobal. Mt., "colorum" on, 944.
Sandico, Teodoro, 40, 41 ; quoted, 61 ;
becomes an Insurgent spy, 128;
secretary of ulterior in Aguinaldo's
cabinet, 266.
San Isidro campaign. General Lawton's
conduct of, 322-323.
San Jose, College of, 502.
San Jose Estate, Mindoro, 834, 838,
839.
San Lazaro Hospital, Manila, 420-422,
433.
Santos, Dr., quoted on the meeting
between Pratt and Aguinaldo at
Singapore, 31-33.
Santo Tomas, University of, 502, 525-
526 ; museum at, 802.
Sargent, Naval Cadet L. R., trip made
by, through provinces, and report
of, 153 ff.
Scenery in Philippines, 794-800, 805.
Scheerer, Otto, 342 ; visit to home of,
at Baguio, 454-455 ; cooperation
of, in drafting act for government
of Benguet, 559 ; help given Ben-
guet Igorots by, in organizing
settlements, 568.
Schoolhouses, construction of, 516.
Schools, establishment of, 346-347,
504-507 ; under Spanish regime,
501-503 ; number of Filipinos as
teachers in, 507.
School teachers, compensation and
vacations of, 370-374.
INDEX
1021
Schurman, J. G., a member of first
Philippine Commission, 8 ; pro-
ceeds to Philippines, 302-305 :
variable opinions and unique con-
duct of, 317-318 ; returns to United
States, 319 ; conflict between state-
ment signed by, in 1900 and state-
ment credited to, in 1902, 325.
Scientific work, coordination of, 488-
500.
Sea-bass fishing, 812.
Seasons, dry and wet, in Philippines,
793.
Sergeant fish, the, 810-811.
Settlement Farm Schools for non-
Christians, 510.
Sewer system in Manila, 432.
Sherman, Dr. P. L.. 306, 307.
Shooting in the Philippines, 818-828.
Shuster, W. Morgan, secretary of
public instruction, 496.
Sibul Spring, 798.
Silk growing, 905-906.
Singapore, varying accounts of meet-
ing between Aguinaldo and Consul
Pratt at, 25-33.
Singapore cane, in Palawan, 222,
847.
Siquijor, island of, 230 ; work of Lieu-
tenant-Governor Fugate in, 965-
966.
Slavery in the Philippines, 676 ff. ; in
Spanish times, 676-679 ; denial of,
by Quezon, 679, 682, 683 ff. ; ac-
count of, in the Moro Province, in
Isabela, in Misamis, and elsewhere,
680-693 ; test suits brought against,
694-698; lack of law to cover
offence, 697-698 ; blocking of anti-
slavery legislation by Philippine
Assembly, and reasons, 098-714 ;
importance of problem, 729.
Sleeper, Charles H., efficient bureau
chief removed by Democratic ad-
ministration, 375.
Smallpox, early prevalence of, 409 ;
vaccinations for, and results, 424-
425.
Smith, General James F., 319 ; career
of, in the Islands, and service as
governor, 353.
Snipe shooting, 819-820.
Sorenson, Inspector, report by, on
slavery in Isabela, 683-684.
Sorsogon, conditions in, under Insur-
gent rule, 214.
South Ilocos, conditions in, under In-
surgent rule, 207-210.
Spanish language, never in common
use, 936.
Special Provincial Government Act,
560.
Steamship service, improvement in, 866,
869.
Steere, Joseph B., 1-2.
Stillman, Dr. W. O., inquiry into
slavery in Philippines by, 704-705.
Strong, Dr. R. P., discovery of cure for
yaws by, 430.
Sugar industrj', crippling of, by Ameri-
can sugar men, 838-839, 898.
Sugar production, in Mindoro, 221,
593-594 ; general conditions and
statistics of, 897-899.
Sultan of Jolo, the, 225, 227, 229.
Superstitions, Filipino, 944-949.
Surigao, slave-taking raids into, 711 ;
estimate of population, 1000, 1003.
Survey of Philippine coasts, harbours
and waters, 873-874.
Sweitzer, F. W., 810.
Taal Volcano, 797-798.
Tablas, island of, 230.
Taft, William H., a member of second
Philippine Commission, 9, 325 ; in-
auguration of, as ci\-il governor,
344 ; resignation of, and notice of
great work done by, in Philippines,
351 ; opening of first session of
Philippine Legislature by, 770.
Tagdlogs, the, 263, 591-594, 933.
Tagbanuas of Palawan, 594-595, 608 ;
present condition of. 608.
Talac6gon, settlement of, 614, 616.
Tamarau, hunting the, 823, 824-827.
Tanguingui fishing. 809.
Taos, name for common people, 771 n.
Tariff, benefit to Philippines from the,
911-917.
Tarlac, conditions in, under Insurgent
rule, 159-165 ; estimate of popula-
tion, 1000.
Tavera, Dr. T. H. Pardo de, 9; be-
comes member of second Philippine
Commission, 345.
Taxation, reform of system of, 350-
351; of wild tribes, 561-562; in-
ternal-revenue, 911 ff.
Tayabas, estimate of population, 1000.
1022
INDEX
Taylor, Major J. R. M., translation of
Insurgent records by, 16-17 ; con-
dition of narrative of, and citations
of, 18-19 ; on Aguinaldo's early
career, 22 S. ; quoted, 45, 49 ff., 75,
85, 96 ff., 106, 107, 108 ff., 135.
145-146, 165, 234-235, 295-300;
summary by, of extent of Insurgent
cooperation with American forces,
122-126 ; quoted relative to insult-
ing of Americans by Filipinos, 133-
134 ; on Aguinaldo's preparations
for attacking Americans, 137-142 ;
on atrocities practised by Insurgents
on Spanish prisoners in Cagayan
valley, 171-172 ; on destruction of
land records by Insurgents, 214 ;
author's indebtedness to, in describ-
ing government set up by Agui-
naldo, 244 ; on horrors of guerilla
warfare, 285-286 ; quoted on
General Otis's promulgation of proc-
lamation of first Philippine Com-
mission, 310 n. ; on method of pro-
cedure of second Philippine Com-
mission, 334 ; on murders by the
Insurgents, 742, 751-752, 763-764,
765 ; on the plot to massacre aU
Americans in Manila, 758-763 ;
summary by, of facts concerning
murders committed by Insurgents,
766-767 ; on the multiplicity of
dialects, 935.
Teachers' Camp, Baguio, 468-469 ;
early unsanitary conditions at,
519.
Tea raising, 902.
Telan, Agapito, slave-dealer, statement
by, 687-689.
Telegraph service, improvement of,
864-866.
Telephone systems, 865-866.
Thomas, Dr. J. B., 569.
Ticao, island of, 230.
Tingians. author's visits to settlements
of, 538-547, 549-553.
Tinio, Manuel, appointed Director of
Lands, 376.
Tirona, Colonel Daniel, abuses prac-
tised by, in Cagayan valley, 171 ff.
Tivi Spring, the, 798.
Tobacco production and consumption,
898-899, 900, 901.
Todd. Captain Albert, 504.
Took-Took people, visit to the, 545-
647.
Tomroth, Captain, pampano taken by,
810.
Torres, Isidore, murder of friars recom-
mended by, 731-732.
Torturing of Spanish by Insurgents in
1898, 156-241.
Township Government Act, 560.
Trade, possibilities for, 906-910 ; statis-
tics of volume of, 912-917.
Trade routes, building up of new, 929.
Trade schools, 507, 511.
Trails, construction of, in territory of
non-Christian tribes, 562-564, 882.
Transportation, opening of lines of, to
wild provinces, 561-564, 574, 583,
589, 626, 875-883; improvement
in means of, by water, 866 ff.
Trias, Mariano, secretary- of treasury
in Aguinaldo's cabinet, 266.
Tuason, Juan, 264.
Tuberculosis in the Philippines, 409 ;
problem of eradication of, 444 ;
bearing of the Benguet Road on
relief of, 463 ; beneficial effects on,
of climate of Baguio, 479.
Tuguegarao, Insurgent atrocities at,
174-176.
Tulisane, meaning of word, 593 n.
Tumay, Dato, Moro chief, 596, 601-
608.
Tunas in Philippine waters, 817.
Turnbull, Lieutenant, 397.
Typhoons, damage from, at Baguio and
along Benguet Road, 471-472 ; de-
scription of, 795-796.
Underground River, the, 798-799.
Universities, Philippine, 498, 502, 525-
526.
University Hospital, Manila, 433.
University of the Philippines, establish-
ment of, and various departments,
498, 527-528.
Vaccinations, number performed and
results, 424-425.
Van Schaick, Captain Louis G., gov-
ernor of Mindoro, 591, 593.
Vegetation in Philippines, 794-795 ;
in tropical forests, 846-847 ; as a
difficulty in the way of development
of mining industry, 885.
INDEX
1023
Vigan, conditions at, under Insurgent
rule, 207-208; experience in the
surf at, 344.
Villa, Simeon, diary of, 54, 279-280,
659 ; atrocities practised under, in
Cagayan valley, 170-205 ; present
powerful position of, 240 ; secret
assassination of Spanish advocated
by, 733.
VUlamor, Colonel Bias, 538, 549 ; lack
of success as lieutenant-governor
of Apayao, 581-582.
Visayan Islands, conditions under In-
surgent rule in the, 206 ff., 231-236 ;
Blount's misstatements and actual
figures concerning area and popu-
lation of, 217-219 ; islands included
in the group of, 230.
Visayans, numbers of, and delegates to
Insurgent congress, 263 ; inter-
necine warfare between Tagdlogs
and, 273 ff. ; assassination and
murder of, under Insurgent rfegime,
734-735; number of, 933.
Vocational training in intermediate
schools, 523-524.
Volcanoes, 797-798.
Voting qualifications in the Philip-
pines, 522-523, 944.
W
Walters, R. E., governor of Mindoro,
593.
Wantz, scheming engineer, story of,
613-615.
Water cure, the, 177 ; as practised by
American soldiers, 281.
Waterspouts, 796.
Waterways, improvement and develop-
ment of, 870-874.
Weather Bureau, the Philippine, 886.
Welch, civil service official removed by
Democratic administration, 375.
Wilcox, Paymaster W. E., trip made
through pro\'inces by, and report
of, 153 ff.
Wilcox-Sargent Report, the, 153 £f.,
192-196, 206, 211, 236.
Wildman, Rounseville, charges made
against, by Judge Blount, 20 ;
Aguinaldo's claim of promise by, of
Filipino independence, 45.
Williams, O. F., charges made against.
by Judge Blount, 20.
Wilson, John R., efficient official re-
moved by Democratic administra-
tion, 376.
Wilson, Woodrow, words of, concern-
ing independence of the Philip-
pines, quoted, 971-972 ; present
policy of, 973.
Women, humane treatment of Filipino,
by American soldiers, 278-281.
Wood, General Leonard, enthusiasm
of, over Baguio, 473.
Wooden. William M., 609.
Woodworking, education of Filipinos
in, 511.
Worcester, Dean C, events leading to
first \-isit to Philippines by, 1-2 ;
spends a year in the Islands (1887-
88), 2-3; second visit to Islands
(1890-92), 4-6; attitude upon
breaking-out of war with Spain,
6-7 ; interview with President
McKinley, 7-8 ; appointed a mem-
ber of first Philippine Commission,
8 ; a member of second Philippine
Commission, 9, 325 ; becomes sec-
retary of the interior in civil gov-
ernment of the Islands, 9, 345 ;
duties and activities of, as secretary,
10-12 : long service and final retire-
ment (1913), 12; purposes to cor-
rect false impressions concerning
Philippine affairs, 12 ff. ; adverse
criticism of Judge Blount by, 14-
15 ; outline of plan to be followed
by, 15-16; arrival in the Islands
as member 'of first Philippine Com-
mission, 304-305 ; at the taking of
Malolos, 306-309 ; cablegrammed
description of battle sent to Chicago
Times-Herald by. 309-310 ; activi-
ties of, in connection with work of
first PhUippine Commission. 310-
324 ; in charge of army spies, 321 ;
trip with Professor Moses through
Pangasindn, La Union, Benguet,
Lepanto, and Ilocos Sur, 341-344 ;
action upon breaking out of Asiatic
cholera in Manila, 414-416 ; forces
retraction of newspaper stor>- con-
cerning San Lazaro Hospital, 420-
422 ; work in behalf of training of
nurses and physicians, 434-437 ;
takes exploring party to Benguet
and Baguio (1900), 451-453; later
visits to Baguio, 456-460 ; services
in connection with scientific work
in Manila and elsewhere, 488 ff. ;
1024
INDEX
resists attempt of University officers
to secure control of professional
work of Philippine General Hos-
pital, 499 ; exploration of non-
Christian territory by, 534 ff. ; ex-
periences with head-hunters, 535-
538, 539 ff. ; journey across Apayao,
551 ff. : trip down the Abuliig
River, 552-553 ; suffers attack of
pneumonia while in the Kalinga
country, 554-556 ; other trips to
territory of the wild men, 556-557 ;
Blount's chapter on "Non-Chris-
tian Worcester," 557-558; opening
of lines of communication through
wild men's country, 561-564 ; ex-
periences on annual inspection trips,
564-566, 596 ff. ; affair with Moros
at Lara, 596-600; at Culasiiin
Bay, 601-607; adventures while
investigating conditions in Agusdn
River country, 612-622 ; correction
of misstatements by Blount, rela-
tive to unimportance of non-Chris-
tian peoples, 637-659 ; tribute by,
to subordinates in work with non-
Christian tribes, 672-675 ; appre-
ciation of Kipling's poem "If," 673-
674 ; attention drawn to existence
of slavery, 692-693 ; fight to stamp
out slavery, 694-729 ; game-fishing
and shooting experiences, 806 ff.
Worcester, George S., 697.
Wright, Luke E., appointed to second
Philippine Commission, 9, 325 ; be-
comes secretary of commerce and
police, 345 ; distinguished service
of. as successor of Governor-General
Taft, 351-352.
Yachting attractions of the Philip-
pines, 805.
Yaws, treatment of disease known as,
430.
Yriga, election in, during Aguinaldo's
regime, 255.
Zambalans, numbers of, and delegates
to Insurgent congress, 263 ; last
census figures, 933, 1000.
Zambales, conditions in, under Insur-
gent rule, 211-212.
Zamboanga, conditions in, after retire-
ment of Spanish, 228-229.
Zamboanguefio, slave patois, 680.
Zapanta, Lieutenant, 397.
Zebus, adapted to the Philippines, 905.
Zialcita, Captain, Insurgent officer,
148; visit to first Philippine Com-
mission from, 315-317.
Zinn, Mr., private secretary, 618.
Zurbano, Emilio, orders issued by,
authorizing murder, 746-747.
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Live Music Archive
Librivox Free Audio
Metropolitan Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Internet Arcade
Console Living Room
Open Library
American Libraries
TV News
Understanding 9/11